I Will Have War
by avocadosatlaw07
Summary: The Avengers have assembled at their new facility. They learn to work together as a team, but after several international incidents, the governments of the world concur that all superheroes must be monitored. With mutterings of The Winter Soldier and lost bloody secrets coming to light, Captain America and Iron Man face off in an epic conflict between former allies and friends.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

 **" _Let's beat them into shape."_**

Wanda grunted as her back hit the mat for what seemed like the hundredth time. Sweat rolled down her face and her muscles ached with exhaustion. Bruises marked her body, not fully healing and more developing almost every day.

"That wasn't too bad. You lasted two minutes this time." A husky voice filled her ears and suddenly, long locks of red hair obscured her vision. Natasha Romanoff, also known as the Black Widow, grinned down at her before holding out her hand. Wanda sat up and grabbed it, letting the stronger woman pull her to her feet.

"Easy for you to say. You're not the one who ends up flat on the mat every time we spar." Wanda panted as she placed her hands on her knees. "Can we stop for today?" she asked, glancing up at the ex-Russian assassin. She tried to keep the pleading tone out of her voice, but Natasha wasn't fooled.

"Last round. I promise. You need to be prepared for hand to hand combat. I've told you this before, if you're drugged, or can't focus, your powers won't be able to help you. We can't risk losing you." She tried to sound a bit sympathetic, but she'd seen too many agents lose their lives to shoddy close combat skills. Sure, Wanda's powers were extremely effective, but the young girl barely had any fighting skills, and Natasha was determined to instill them in her. It helped that she was a fast learner; it had only been three months since the new team had been formed and she was doing better than a Level 6 Agent.

Wanda swallowed and nodded, straightening herself and resuming a fighting stance. Arms raised in a defensive position, she watched as Natasha shifted, the Black Widow persona taking over her normal features. Wanda was always awed when she watched Natasha fight, whether it be while sparring with the other Avengers, or with enemies during a mission. The woman was as lithe as a panther, eliminating her opponents with ease and her motions smooth and firm. It was not as amazing however, when she was slamming Wanda to the ground, twisting her arm behind her back, or kicking her in the stomach.

Natasha made the first move, flying across the space between them and swinging a fist towards Wanda's face. Ducking, Wanda evaded the attack and swept her legs to knock the Widow off balance. Natasha merely flipped over them, landing gracefully and bringing her own leg around in a powerful kick to the head. The two exchanged blows back and forth, Natasha pounding her with no less strength than before. Wanda admired that about Natasha, even while she blocked a bruising punch to her arm. She never went easy on anyone; always using the same insane amount of force and determined demeanor. It kept Wanda aware, and distracted her from other topics she'd rather not think of. They went at it for another minute until Natasha backed off and called it a day.

Wanda wanted to collapse in relief, but she smiled and accepted the towel thrown at her, wiping the sweat off her face and arms. She and Natasha had been sparring almost every day after the New Avengers were formed, and although it was grueling sometimes, Wanda enjoyed spending time with the older woman. She had felt guilty for screwing with Natasha's head, but the assassin had immediately accepted her apology and request for a fresh start. Natasha hadn't been the easiest person to talk to, but she was still a bit troubled about the recent visit back to her past, and since Wanda was overcome by sorrow when Pietro died, they found some comfort in each other. And although Natasha rarely opened up about her past, she also never pried when Wanda wanted to be alone, an action that made her respect the more experienced Avenger even more.

They hit the lockers and came out showered and refreshed, stretching a bit to relax their aching muscles. Natasha's brow furrowed when she picked up her phone; it was filled with new messages. Wanda was just zipping up her bag when Natasha looked up and said, "The others just got back- and apparently with some important news judging by the insane amount of messages I have from Sam." A new text popped up and Wanda heard Natasha muttering something about egoistic birds and how much she'd like to cut their wings off. "Meeting at the dining hall in five. We should head up."

Steve, Sam, Rhodes, and The Vision had been on a mission for the last three days. They hadn't needed Natasha and Wanda this time around, and Natasha had decided to take the time to increase Wanda's training and finally have some alone time without the men of the team to bother them. It really was so much better, Natasha thought as they entered the elevator, to have another woman on the team. Of course, Hill had always been present, but she and Natasha never really connected much. Wanda was young and eager to learn, and Natasha could relate with her over their tortured pasts. The silver elevator doors opened, opening the view to the dining view.

The other four Avengers were sprawled across the room, still in uniform and munching on giant piles of food as if they hadn't eaten for days.

"Natasha! Wanda! There you guys are! Took you two long enough!"

"Can it Sam," Natasha warned, but there was a twinkle of amusement in her green eyes.

"We weren't the ones who took so long. It's been three days, you guys said you'd be back in one," Wanda added. She and Natasha grabbed some sandwiches from the kitchen and pulled chairs to sit with the rest of the team. Steve looked up from his sub. He looked dead tired, and his suit was covered in dirt and…blood?

"We ran into some trouble." He glanced at Natasha, and look of understanding passed between them.

"Could you guys stop with that already?" Sam exclaimed. "It's like you're having telepathic conversations or something." He shifted under Natasha's killer glare. "What? It's true. Right Rhodes?" He glanced at the War Machine, who was dozing on an armchair. Wanda stifled a laugh. The Vision spoke up at that moment;

"It appears that the information we received was false, and a trap was waiting for us when we arrived. It wasn't too difficult of a fight, but it took us hours to get them off our tail."

"Was it Hydra?" Natasha asked, concern etched on her face.

"Partly. It seems that a new yet powerful branch has sprouted. After Strucker's defeat, a lot of members went into hiding, but the more loyal ones regrouped under a new leader, and they've been increasing in numbers."

Natasha frowned as she mulled over the information, and then told the team to get refreshed and sleep. A full mission debrief would be held the next day, followed by a medical examination. They left without complaint, and Wanda helped Sam move a sleepy Rhodes out of the room. Steve remained behind, his food abandoned on the table and his brow furrowed in thought.

Once the elevator doors shut, Natasha moved across and sat down next to him. "How're you holding up?" The super soldier looked up at her and sighed. Rubbing his hands over his tired face, he finally let it out.

"I don't know what happened Natasha. I was _so_ sure this was it. That we'd found him." Natasha gazed into his broken eyes and gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze. "I mean, the source was 90% confirmed accurate. I double and triple checked everything, over and over again. I just…I miss him. It's been almost two years now, and he's out there alone, with who knows how many questions."

Natasha waited until he was done and said, "First of all, I think he can take care of himself. He's got a damn robotic arm and years of undercover skills. But stop beating yourself over it. It's not your fault Steve. You'll see each other again. We've got contacts all over the world looking for him, and if those don't pull through, he'll come to you."

"How'd you work that out?"

Natasha frowned. "From my own experience I guess. After Clint found me, he asked me if I was planning to run away almost every day. And at first I considered it. But I'd been alone for so long, and the thought of being with people who actually _cared_ about me, for my well-being...Well, I couldn't pass that opportunity up." Steve was staring at her with such intensity she wanted to look away. But she continued. "Barnes will realize that soon enough, if he hasn't already. Just give him time. We've got a lot more pressing matters to deal with besides chasing after a ghost that doesn't want to be found."

Steve nodded solemnly, and let the topic go for a moment. When Natasha got up off the couch he asked, "How'd it go with Wanda?"

She shrugged, biting into a sandwich. "Same as usual. Started off practicing combat moves, then sparred. She's improving; faster than I'd expected." Natasha got out her phone and checked her notifications. "Oh, and Hill is coming from the Tower tomorrow. She wants to see how the training is going."

Steve nodded. Stark sent Maria for monthly checkups, making the agent move constantly between the Tower and the new Avengers Facility. Natasha grabbed a water bottle and headed towards the elevator. Looking over her shoulder she said, "Get some rest Steve. You need it." He watched her go, her fiery red hair swaying and vanishing behind the elevator doors. Steve finally heaved himself off the couch and grabbed his shield, yawning and imagining the comfortable bed waiting for him back at his quarters. Natasha was right; Bucky could wait. The Avengers however, needed some attending to.

 **Thanks for reading! I've been thinking of writing this story for a while now, and have written more than just this chapter. Although I am an experienced writer, this is my first time publishing a story on FanFiction, so I'd appreciate it if you told me how I did :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 **" _I had this…dream."_**

After talking to Steve, Natasha headed to her quarters and gathered up basic profile papers to give to Hill the next day. She and Wanda had spent most of the day training, and the exhaustion was finally getting to her. Deciding to call it a night, Natasha changed into looser clothing and collapsed on her bed, falling asleep in seconds.

 _The steering wheel of the car was clenched tightly under her pale hands. Outside the car, desert conditions stretched for miles, with the lights of a city far into the distance. Natasha glanced over at the engineer she was tasked with escorting and muttered into her earpiece, "Subject acquired- no complications. On route to extraction point now." A slight static filled her ears before an agent replied:_

" _Affirmative Romanoff. We've marked your current position. A helicopter will be waiting for you when you arrive." Natasha sighed quietly and adjusted her position in the driver's seat of the jet black SUV._

" _You seem tense." The engineer glanced at her with curiosity etched within the lines of his face. She kept her stoic expression and stared out the window shield. He didn't seem to get the message that she wasn't in the mood to talk and continued. "Who are you anyways? Usually S.H.I.E.L.D sends baby faced agents who babble about the importance of safety and other crap to transfer me to places. You… you're not like the rest."_

 _Natasha finally spoke up. "Look, I'm not here to chitchat. I was assigned to escort you and that's what I'm going to do. Nothing more, and nothing less." The engineer stared for a second before opening his mouth once more. Natasha wanted to bang her head against the wheel in frustration, but before either of them got the chance to say or do anything, two loud cracks penetrated the air and the SUV's front tires blew out._

 _The following seconds were a daze. The car swerved out of control, and veered straight of the edge of the cliff they were driving along. Natasha blacked out, and when she regained consciousness, the SUV was upside down at the bottom of the cliff; the windows smashed and doors crushed. She groaned and felt blood drip down her forehead. Blinking hard several times to regain her senses, Natasha dug out her knife and cut her way out of the seat and kicked open the mangled door. The sun was blinding as she stumbled out, and she fumbled for her gun, almost passing out from the loss of blood. She felt around her face and found a deep gash just below her hairline. It wasn't fatal, but still hurt like hell._

 _She hurried to the passenger door and heard the engineer's groans through the shattered window. It took all her strength, but she hauled him out of the slightly smoking vehicle and assessed him for injuries. Natasha tried to get him to stay still, and scanned the perimeter for any signs of life. Someone was after them; the SUV's tires hadn't blown out by themselves. Hearing faint footsteps, she spun around to see a large figure stalking towards them with an M16 pointed straight at the engineer. The sun reflected off of his arm which was made of…metal? Natasha shoved the engineer behind her and raised her gun at the impending threat. Before she had the chance to attack however, another loud_ crack _pierced the air. The next thing Natasha knew, the engineer was dead with a bullet to the head. A bullet that had gone straight through her stomach and out her lower back._

 _Pain raked through her body and she fell to her knees in shock, her gun slipping out of her hand and landing on the ground with a thump. Natasha pressed her hand to the hole the bullet had made in her stomach and felt hot blood gushing out, spilling over her hand and onto the ground. Looking up at the man's retreating figure, she thought only one thing before the pain became too much to bear and she collapsed onto the ground._

… _James_

Natasha woke up with a start, sweat covering her face and her breathing heavy. She scrambled out of bed and raked her hands through her hair, trying to block out bloody memories that she wished nothing more than to forget. She hadn't dreamt of Odessa for a while, but it wasn't any better than before. The scar on her stomach felt like it had been reopened, stitched up, and then ripped open again.

Gulping down a glass of water, she discarded her sweaty top for a new one and left her quarters, heading down to the gym to clear her head. When she arrived, she was surprised to find Wanda there, wearing a tight purple tank top and pounding away at a punching bag. She didn't notice Natasha enter and stayed focused on the bag, punching, punching, and punching.

"Trouble sleeping?" the assassin asked, startling the younger woman so that she almost elbowed her in the face. Natasha easily caught her arm and took a step back. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you."

"It's fine. I just wanted to practice. And yeah… dreams." Wanda swallowed uncertainly, and noticed the tense expression on Natasha's face. "Are you alright?"

Natasha's green eyes slowly found her face, and she snapped herself back to attention. "Yea," she said. "I just…. I've been thinking about a lot of stuff lately that I'd rather not remember." Wanda's large eyes focused on her and she sat down on the floor of the gym, inviting Natasha to do the same. She did, folding her legs underneath her like a cat.

"Is it Bruce?" Wanda asked. Natasha never really talked about the gamma expert, but Wanda knew that they had some sort of connection when she approached his mind back in Johannesburg.

Natasha's shook her head. "No, I don't think about him anymore. Honestly, it wasn't a good decision to begin with. I mean, we were still reeling from the effects from that spell you cast on us, and things were way too rushed between us." She took a shaky breath before continuing. "Anyways, he made his choice to ignore my help and leave, and it's his problem now." She rubbed her face and sighed, and although Wanda could tell she was still really stressed, she didn't pry.

"What about you?" Natasha asked suddenly. "I'm gonna guess and say that this isn't the first time you've been here at this hour."

Wanda cleared her throat. "I-uh… I've been thinking about Pietro. Of what he would think of me now. Being an Avenger- working with S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Hey," Natasha said. "I barely talked to him, but if there's one thing I'm certain of, is that he loved you. More than anything." Her words had a certain sadness to them, and Wanda wondered briefly if she was thinking about someone in her past who was gone now as well. "And if he was here now," Natasha continued, "he'd be proud of you. I know I am."

Wanda looked down and gave a small smile.

The two Avengers sat in silence for half an hour, taking comfort in each other's presence, before Natasha stood up from her position on the floor. It was three o clock in the morning and Hill was coming early. "You should get back to bed Wanda," she said. "We've got lot of things to do today, and you're going to need all the energy you can get." She smiled at the still sitting girl before offering her a hand, one that Wanda took immediately. Together they walked back to the elevator, feeling slightly better, but still dreading the demons that were waiting for them in their dreams.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 _ **"Avengers…"**_

The new Avengers Facility in Upstate New York was by far a magnificent piece of architecture. The building was huge, separated into different floors and sections. There was a communications center, two labs for scientific study, an extravagant infirmary, three separate dining halls (one for recruits, one for agents, and one for The Avengers), and the largest parts; the gym and training area. The gym inside was humongous, replete with all types of practice areas for almost any weapon, punching bags, and obstacle courses. The training area outside was for both new and senior agents, though The Avengers sometimes used it when they wanted a change in scenery. The agents situated in the building were housed in the barracks, while each Avenger received their own room and space.

A few hours after her talk with Wanda, Natasha woke up, slipped on her workout clothes, and made her way downstairs to meet with Steve. Although Steve was the official leader of the Avengers, Natasha was the one who took care of training regimens, mission debriefs, and any issues that came up with Stark. Steve sometimes told her that she should be named leader instead of him, but she liked what she did. Frankly, it was easy, but that was probably because almost everyone she worked with was afraid of her. She and Wanda often joked about that, and had fun creeping Sam and Rhodey out. Anyways, Steve had this way of motivating people to do things that Natasha could never fully understand, so she left that to him.

She found Steve waiting for her outside the elevator on the gym floor. He looked a lot better than he did the night before; dressed in loose gray pants and a navy shirt and an expression of determination on his face. He smiled at her when he saw her, and they started walking toward the gym doors.

"Is Hill here yet?" Natasha asked.

"About to land. Stark had some last minute work for her to do- it threw her off schedule." He scratched his nose. "I told the others to meet us at the gym. They should be there by now."

"They better be. We need to do a lot more training as a team if we want to be Avengers." She took out her tablet and scrolled through some of the records. "I've been planning some training exercises, and if those pull through, we can move on to more practical training."

Steve nodded and Natasha put away her tablet before opening the doors to the gym, but they stopped short at what was happening inside. The scene was one of extreme chaos. Rhodey and Sam were flying around in their suits, exchanging blows while at the same time dodging obstacles that Wanda, who was laughing madly, was levitating and throwing up at them. The Vision floated nearby, firing a beam of energy from the Mind Gem in his forehead at the other two flying Avengers. If any agents had been there, they were definitely gone, since half the gym was moved around by explosions and Wanda's powers.

As soon as the four of them saw Natasha and Steve standing at the doors, they stopped what they were doing immediately, like little children scolded by their parents. Wanda's laughter ceased, The Vision slowly floated back to the ground, and Rhodes and Sam followed suit. The silence was deafening; a pin drop could be heard.

Steve glanced at Natasha's expression and sighed. This wasn't going to be pretty. The ex-Russian assassin slowly walked towards the rest of the team, with Steve following right behind.

"Sam," she said in a sickly fake sweet voice. He visibly flinched under her death stare. "Would you mind informing us on WHAT THE HELL WAS GOING ON HERE!?" Next to Natasha, Steve crossed his arms and tried to retain a serious expression, but couldn't prevent the corners of his mouth from lifting.

"We thought…we uhh…we decided to practice for a bit before you guys got here," Sam muttered, not meeting her blazing eyes.

Steve stepped forward. "Guys, it's fine to horse around once in a while. But Hill is going to be here in less than 10 minutes, and the world is already mad at us for the destruction in Sokovia. We don't need to give people another reason to question the existence of The Avengers."

Natasha let out a deep breath before consulting her pad again. "Listen," she said, "the next seven months are going to be hell. Every day, training and sparring in the gym. We'll alternate between me and Steve." She looked every member in the eye before continuing on. "Twice a month, we'll join with the agents for two day long practice courses, both inside and outside. We're going to get familiar with each other's fighting style, equipment, and undercover skills. Slacking is not going to be tolerated."

Steve spoke up. "You guys are powerful and smart individuals. We know that. But we have to be united if we want to win. The stuff we've been doing for the last three months- that was basics. This is the real deal. By next summer, this team isn't going to be like the original Avengers. It's going to be better."

Wanda shared a look with The Vision and smiled. Steve went on with his little speech:

"There are going to be some harsh times. When you feel like you can't get up, you can't keep moving forward. It's during those moments that this team needs to be the strongest. But first, we need to trust each other; get to know one another better. If one of you gets hurt or captured, know that you're not alone. And if you're not going to have each other's backs, you can leave now- the door's over there." Steve glanced at Natasha before returning his attention to the rest of his team. "But I'm willing to bet that won't happen."

The Avengers stood quietly for a few seconds; Steve's words echoing in their heads. The silence was interrupted when the door behind them suddenly banged open and in marched a disgruntled and harassed looking Maria Hill. She came forward until she stood only three feet away from the team. "Well," she announced, "shall we get started?"

While Steve helped the others fix the mess they caused, Natasha walked with Hill to the more intact part of the gym to discuss official matters. Hill removed a Stark tablet from her bag and brought up some files, her eyes doing a quick re-scan of the information she'd gotten from Natasha.

"So," she started. "Training going well?"

"Individually, yes," Natasha replied. "But we're going to increase the number of team practices in the upcoming months."

"Wanda seems to be the most productive lately."

"She's put in a lot of extra practice. I've been her Supervising Officer for the last three months - trying to test her limits."

Hill nodded. "Stark wanted to know how The Vision was doing." Her eyes flicked to the floating android who was currently shoving a weapon rack back into its original position.

"He's a good addition to the team. Doesn't argue, shows up on time for training and debriefs." Natasha paused for a moment before asking, "Why hasn't Tony visited? He wants all these evaluations and observations and yet never bothers to show up."

"You know Stark. He doesn't like being handed things."

"And where are these 'things' going exactly?"

Hill pursed her lips. "After Sokovia, people have been questioning the concept of The Avengers. Officials have been talking, and governments are thinking of taking action. We're trying to push around some papers, but everything else is classified information."

Natasha scoffed and muttered, "Of course it is."

Steve made his way over to them. Natasha looked behind him and saw that the gym was back to its normal style, only a few things misplaced here and there. The other Avengers were standing in a huddle, waiting for the training session to start.

"Well," Steve said. "Gym's back in order. Let's get this evaluation over with Maria."

While Hill took a seat to the side and pulled up some files on her tablet, Natasha and Steve called the Avengers over to them. Natasha told them the starting layout:

"Ok, Vision, you're sparring with Steve. Wanda with Rhodey. Sam, with me. We'll go on to weapons after that. Hill's been here before, you know the drill."

Annoyance and anxiety mixed on Sam's face when he learned he was paired up with Natasha, and Wanda patted his arm, smirking at his discomfort before moving onto a mat with Rhodey. Steve moved a bit farther from the rest of the team with The Vision, as their sparring sessions tended to be a bit more intense than normal.

They all turned in unison, and once Natasha gave the signal, launched towards each other in a flurry of fists and feet. Hill had to admit the sight was impressive. After all, it wasn't every day you got to see the Avengers beating each other up.

 **Here's Chapter 3! Hope y'all enjoy it and tell me what you think :). I'd love to hear any ideas you guys have for me to include later in the story.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

" _ **Nothing lasts forever."**_

Natasha hadn't been kidding when she said the next seven months would be hell. Every day, The Avengers gathered at the gym and performed excruciating exercises, practiced fighting with their weapons and armor, and sparred. Sam and Wanda would be paired up against Natasha; Rhodey and The Vision with Steve. They would alternate every other day, changing up their fighting styles and combat skills. Natasha and Steve showed no mercy during training. The less experienced Avengers would crash into their beds with their bones feeling broken and bruises coating their bodies. The only exception was The Vision, who Steve organized special one on one practices with, due to him being an android.

Throughout this time, Wanda and Natasha grew closer as friends, and their meetings in the gym at night became more and more frequent. Some days they would sit on the hard floor in silence, while others were spent recounting painful and happy memories. Wanda was surprised when Natasha talked about Red Room, since she barely ever opened up about her past. Nevertheless, talking with the older woman helped dull the pain Wanda still felt from Pietro's death, and Natasha taught her how to use that pain to propel her into fighting harder and longer. Wanda also became good friends with The Vision, since the two of them were more different than the rest of the Avengers.

As for The Winter Soldier, mutterings of his presence would pop up every now and then, and usually Steve would take Sam with him to investigate. Steve never went overboard with his searches, but Natasha kept an eye on him just in case.

Overall, the team grew stronger than ever before. The shaky tower of trust they'd had before had strengthened into a seemingly unbreakable one. Any mission involving the entire team usually ended in success; they moved flawlessly and easily with each other. Boundaries were respected among them all, and orders were followed through, whether they be given by Steve or Natasha.

Natasha kept them all in line and handled all the paperwork and evaluations. Hill visited more frequently, something that made the ex-Russian assassin a bit suspicious, but the agent usually left on good terms. There was one incident however, during which the other Avengers had to keep Natasha from smashing Hill's face in. No one knew what the problem was between the two women, and were too afraid to ask. Not even Wanda could get it out of Natasha, which was surprising, since the two were basically best friends.

Press was going well too. Stark had made several appearances in public, and spoke about some of the things The Avengers were doing. People were still wary of the team, but the hatred after Sokovia had lessened somewhat. Natasha joined him once at a conference, but her presence sparked some rumors, and security personnel had to escort more than one person from the area. A year ago, she wouldn't have cared. But she was co-leading The Avengers now, and the ever increasing publicity was getting on her nerves. The government claimed to be leaving the team mostly alone, but Natasha still noticed agents tailing her every now and then. While she was an expert at being undercover and evaded them easily, the rest of the team needed some practice, which resulted in a three week long undercover and espionage training session. Steve and Sam complained constantly, but everyone was secretly relieved to get a break from all physical work.

As for missions, they were kept low-key and quiet; something that Steve made sure of. Sometimes it would just be Natasha and Wanda on an op, since they could easily sneak in an out to receive Intel, whereas the others preferred barging in and eliminating their targets on the spot. Not many incidents occurred, but Wanda broke her wrist during one mission while heading to extraction, and Sam almost fell to his death when his wings malfunctioned. Other than that, The Avengers were making really good progress in terms of publicity and proficiency.

Although no word was heard from Bruce, Thor had visited once during winter, eager to meet with Jane, who was now working part time at the Avengers Facility with Eric Selvig. He recounted his experiences in Asgard over beer and a large meal at the dining hall. The god had fun messing with the new members of the team, and teased Sam mercilessly. Unfortunately, he couldn't stay long since things were heating up slightly in his home realm, but left the Avengers cheerful and refreshed.

Steve was incredibly proud of the work his team had accomplished, and when Stark invited them to the tower after a mission, the two actually got along. Natasha introduced Wanda to Pepper, and the three women had an off day, going around New York and forgetting about all their problems for once. Natasha had always respected Pepper, seeing as the woman had to put up with Tony and run one of the largest industries in the world, yet still was able wake up with a smile and incredible posture. It was a nice experience for Wanda specifically; Pepper was basically the exact opposite of Stark and extremely supportive and kind.

However, nothing does last forever, something that became clear when everything The Avengers accomplished in the past year cracked and crumbled into pieces after one heart-wrenching, painful, and catastrophic mission.

 **Short chapter, but it's the last one before things start to heat up and move a bit faster. :) Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

" _ **The world has changed. And none of us can go back."**_

It all started on an early morning in the beginning of May. The day was just like any else; warm summer air was making its presence, the sun creeping up to a crystal blue sky, and the sounds of birds and insects floating from the trees.

Natasha made her way down to the gym as usual, yawning and putting her hair up in a ponytail as she left the elevator shaft and headed toward the gym doors. She'd grown it out recently, letting the now slightly darker locks frame her face and flow down her shoulders. Steve wasn't there to meet her, but sometimes he went ahead to the gym earlier, so Natasha wasn't worried. Rhodey and The Vision were at Stark tower at the billionaire's request, so it was just Sam, Wanda, Natasha, and Steve at the facility. Besides all the other agents of course.

The Black Widow shouldered open the heavy gym doors and found Wanda and Sam sitting on the floor and playing cards. They looked up at her when she entered. Natasha raised her eyebrows:

"Where's Steve?" she said.

"We were gonna ask you the same thing. Haven't seen him since last night, but I thought he'd be with you. Apparently not though." Sam went back to his cards, his brow furrowing as he glanced at the card Wanda had dealt. Wanda nodded to affirm his statement, and now Natasha was confused. Steve was rarely late, and if he ever was, he always sent them a message in advance.

"I stopped at the lobby for a bit before coming down here and there was more buzz than usual. I didn't hear what it was about, but it could be why Steve hasn't shown up," Wanda offered. Natasha nodded, then turned back around to the doors.

"What about training?" Sam called after her.

"Cancelled for today," she said over her shoulder, missing the excited looks Wanda and Sam gave each other, "do whatever you want." She headed to the elevator and headed back up to the floor where the Avengers were housed. When the door opened, another woman was standing right outside. Wavy blond hair covered her head and outlined a pretty face with a sharp nose but soft features. Natasha nodded to her and quickly stepped out the lift, heading towards Steve's room. Her thoughts focused elsewhere, she was oblivious to the woman's rather red eyes and small sniffling. The elevator doors closed with a slight _ping_ behind Natasha, and she knocked on Steve's door.

"Rogers! You going to come down anytime soon or what?" She knocked a couple more times. "Steve?"

No one answered, but Natasha knew he was inside his room by the slight shuffling she heard. Sighing, she tried the door handle and found it to be unlocked. She pushed it open, sliding inside as quietly as a mouse.

"Steve?" she called again. "What've you be-," she stopped short when she saw Steve slumped on the ground, something clenched in his left hand and staring at a thick white envelope with a tortured look in his eyes. He raised his head and Natasha wanted to look away. She'd thought his reaction to Bucky being alive had been bad, but this was ten times worse. His eyes were shattered, and Natasha's breath caught in her throat when they met her own green ones; it was the same look she saw in the mirror after every nightmare about her past.

Suddenly, everything clicked. The extra talk in the lobby .The elegant writing on the envelope addressing Steve. The woman on the elevator. Agent 13. Sharon Carter _. Carter._ The object in Steve's hand stumbled out; an old, worn out compass. It landed on the blue rug and sprang open, revealing a picture of a beautiful woman, much like the one in the secret bunker that had housed the twisted brain of Arnim Zola.

 _"There's Stark's father."_

 _"Howard."_

 _"Who's the girl?"_

Natasha knew who the girl was. Every S.H.I.E.L.D agent did. But she also knew that Captain America had a history with her. What kind, that was a mystery. Until now. Looking into those blue orbs, she knew.

Margaret 'Peggy' Carter, one of the founders of S.H.I.E.L.D and an inspiration to women all over the world, was dead.

And Steve Rogers had just lost the love of his life.

All this information rattled through Natasha's brain in less than 30 seconds, and she found herself walking forward and leaning down to sit next to the super soldier. He opened his mouth, but anything he was about to say was muffled when Natasha pressed herself against him and wrapped him up in a tight hug. She felt him hesitate for a second, but then wrap his strong arms around her torso, burying his face into her shoulder. Running her fingers soothingly through his short blonde hair, Natasha let him stay there for several minutes before pulling back and making him look straight into her eyes.

"Listen," she began, "I'm not gonna tell you everything's going to be okay. Because it's not. But you need to be strong." Steve gazed into her eyes like she was the only thing keeping him reality. "Do you think Peggy gave up after you hit the ice? To her and everyone else in the world, Captain America was dead. But she went on to become a goddamn founder of S.H.I.E.L.D, fighting against anyone who disagreed with her or caused a threat to the people around her."

Steve finally spoke up, but his voice was cracked and broken. "She was always the stronger one."

"Strength has nothing to do with it. She was loyal and brave - and she made history without an enhanced serum running through her veins."

"She was one of the only people left connected to my past Natasha. I can't just move on from that."

"I'm not asking you to," Natasha said, "but this news is going to spread fast. And all attention will be focused on you. On Captain America."

Steve ran his hands through his hair and stood up in frustration. "I can't deal with this right now. I can't, I-,"

"Can't what? You think Peggy ever said she can't do something?" Natasha asked. "What would say if she was here right now?"

He looked down and didn't answer. Natasha got up as well and strode over to him, grabbing his chin and making him look at her.

"Answer me," Natasha said forcefully, repeating her question. "What would Peggy Carter say if she was here right now?" Steve observed her intense green eyes and said quietly:

"She'd tell me to find another date to dance with."

"Damn right she would."

Natasha let go of his face and walked back to where the compass was lying on the rug. She scooped it up and placed it in his large hand, closing his fingers around it. She pointed at the envelope still clenched in his other hand.

"And I would read that soon if I were you. It'll get heavier every second you don't."

With that, she turned around and promptly walked out his room. Steve heard the door shut behind her and sat down on the edge of his bed. He stayed motionless for ten minutes before finally making up his mind. Flipping open the compass, he placed it on the corner of his nightstand; Peggy's picture facing him. With trembling fingers, Steve carefully peeled open the envelope and extracted the letter within. He took a deep breath, and then started to read.

* * *

As soon as Natasha left Steve's room, she went to find Wanda and Sam. She headed to the lobby area, which was buzzing with activity, and pulled over a random agent who passing by. The poor thing almost passed out in fear from the fierce expression Natasha had on her face, but she ignored his behavior and asked him where the other two Avengers where. Stuttering, he told her that they'd last been seen in the courtyard outside. She let go of his arm and quickly made her way outside, ignoring the looks the agents around were giving her.

Sure enough, Wanda and Sam were in the courtyard or more correctly, above it, seeing as Sam had his suit on and Wanda was using her powers to float herself up. She was blasting waves of energy at Sam, who was trying to dodge them, all the while laughing his head off. Wanda was trying to contain her amusement but couldn't help herself, and had a huge smile on her face. The smile vanished immediately however, when she saw Natasha's expression as the assassin moved across the courtyard towards them.

"Please don't tell me you changed your mind and we're training today," Sam groaned, still hovering fifteen feet off the ground. Natasha ignored him and waited until they both had lowered themselves to her level to speak.

"You guys know Peggy Carter?" she asked. Wanda sent a curious glance to Sam.

"Somewhat," Sam admitted. "She helped found S.H.I.E.L.D. right?"

"Partially."

"Is this about Steve?" Wanda asked suddenly. Natasha sent her a sharp look.

"When we were on that ship and I cast that…spell on all you guys, I was able to glimpse some of the things that you thought of." Wanda swallowed uncertainly. "In Steve's vision, I saw a young woman in the middle of a ballroom, and when I came to this facility, I saw the same woman on a picture frame on the wall. It said Carter underneath it, so I assume this has something to do with Steve."

Natasha cast an intense gaze on Wanda, who shifted underneath it.

"So…," Sam prompted, "does it?"

Natasha sighed and looked away. "She was the only woman that Steve ever loved."

"Really? Thought that was you, with all the looks you give to each other when you think people aren't looking," Sam teased.

"She died this morning."

Sam visibly blanched at Natasha's abrupt statement and lowered his eyes.

"She had to be pretty old…," Wanda started.

Natasha nodded. "I know it's not really much of a surprise to anyone, but she was one of the few people still connecting Steve to his past. They had a deep history together, and he's really down right now."

Sam and Wanda had identical expressions of concern plastered on their faces.

"When's the funeral?" Sam asked.

"Don't know for sure. But it'll probably be in the next couple of days, and I heard on the way here something about London, so I'm assuming that's where it's going to be held."

"We'll be there," Wanda said.

Natasha smiled. "I'm sure he'll appreciate that." She turned away and trudged back to the building; her red hair swaying and disappearing past the steel doors.

Sam started to remove his suit and Wanda waited until he was done before they followed Natasha' steps back to the facility as well; neither of them was in the mood to horse around anymore.

* * *

The funeral was indeed held in London, two days after Peggy's death. The skies were a gloomy gray and reflected the mood of the many people who came to show their respect. The Avengers arrived the night before the event, and headed out together to the church. Sam and Steve were wearing black and white suits with, while Natasha and Wanda donned dark dresses with coats pulled over them. Although Stark, Rhodes, and The Vision couldn't make it, they all personally called Steve to say how sorry they were.

They took their seats on the pews, and Steve got up to meet Sharon, who arrived seconds after them. People dressed in black were still pouring in; filling the rather large building to the limit. The procession began, the pastor reading some words before allowing Steve to make his way to the front. He'd written her eulogy the day before, and reading it was extremely difficult. Nevertheless, he lasted through it, talking about the great woman that Peggy was, and the everlasting affect she would have on the world. He spoke about her bravery, her diligence, and her fierce kindness for the people she loved. By the time he finished, more than a couple of people were wiping at their eyes, and sniffles echoed all throughout the church.

Everyone then stood and followed as Steve and five others lifted up the coffin and proceeded to carry it out the church and to the cemetery. The casket was lowered into the ground; people coming forward to shovel in a handful of dirt. Natasha forced her way to Steve's side and squeezed his hand. Sam followed her, giving Steve a comforting pat on the back. The super soldier gave them both a grateful smile, and slowly, like a snail making its way across the ground, the crowd began to disperse; leaving only a few stragglers.

* * *

Wanda and Natasha had made their way over to Sharon and the three women were immersed in conversation. While Sam left to get Steve something to drink, he stood next to the now smoothed grave and smoothed his hand over the tombstone.

"You'll always be my best girl Peggy," he whispered.

An old woman leaning heavily on a cane suddenly hobbled next to Steve, and she shakily knelt down to place a bouquet of beautiful flowers onto the grave. She straightened up and, sending a sideways glance to Steve, asked in a croaky voice,

"So, how do you know English?"

"Pardon?"

The woman pointed a gnarled finger at the grave. "Peggy. I used to call her English, that accent and all."

Steve smiled, then thought back to the letter Peggy had left for him. "You're name doesn't happen to be…Angie?" he asked, his brow furrowing.

"That it is. Became best friends with Peggy after she returned from the war. She said she worked at the phone company, but I always knew there was more to that. And I was right; she was working for the SSR the whole time!" Angie laughed, and got lost for a moment thinking about the old days with her and Peggy.

Steve saw Sam approaching from the corner of his eye carrying a water bottle, and excused himself. Angie sent a sweet gaze towards Steve and squeezed his arm before wobbling away towards a younger man waiting for her at the edge of the yard. Watching them until they disappeared, Steve looked at Peggy's engraved name. Memories of their experiences together flashed before his eyes. The time she shot at his shield; those many battles where she rushed into the chaos with him; the moment they kissed ever so sweetly; and finally, when she fixed that date with him over the speaker, her voice the last one he heard before the cold ice enveloped him. Steve found himself kneeling on the ground, despair grasping him like a vise and suffocating him until he thought he would pass out. Strong arms suddenly wrapped around him, but Steve could barely make out what Sam was saying.

"It's going to be alright. It's going to be alright," Sam repeated over and over. Steve clutched his arm and blinked through the blurry tears, shaking his head in misery.

It wasn't going to be alright. Not for a long time.

 **Ah Peggy. She'll always be remembered. So this chapter is the beginning of the War in a way; you'll see how it turns out later :)**

 **Anyways, thanks as always for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

" _ **Gear up. It's time."**_

The four Avengers returned to the facility the night after the funeral and no one really felt like talking. Although Steve was the only one who actually knew Peggy, his sadness spread into all of them, leaving the team rather hollow and unsure of what to do. Steve was the motivational glue of the team – he kept them all going through the hard times.

Natasha told Wanda and Sam to get to bed; they were still a bit jetlagged; but left Steve alone. Super soldier though he was, he really needed a break. And Natasha was determined to give it to him. She directed any appointments he had to herself, and when the clock hit twelve, she bade Steve goodnight, placing her hand on his cheek for a second before heading up to her room.

Grabbing her laptop, she plopped down on her bed and rubbed her face, yawning. Her body told her she was tired, but Natasha wasn't really in the mood to sleep. The recent events had left her mind screwed up – sleeping would only awaken the beasts she was trying so hard to keep at bay. Instead, she opened up the communications center on her screen and crawled through the messages. Rhodey had emailed her, stating that he and The Vision would be staying at Stark's place for at least another week, and she had an insane amount status update requirements from Hill. Sometimes, co-leading the Avengers was a really crappy job. Natasha compiled some training info and mission debriefs and whisked them off to the demanding agent, sighing slightly in annoyance.

The work did distract her for a bit however; allowing her to focus her attention elsewhere for once. Distinctly, she heard the tiny _ping_ of the elevator, informing her that Steve had finally decided to come upstairs. Natasha continued, tapping away at forms and contracts she considered worthless and pulling up a select few. She thought Steve had went straight to his room, so it came as a surprise when a gentle knock sounded at the door. The clock read one by then, and she slipped out of her bed to the door, opening it to find Steve standing there; hands in his pockets and lips pursed.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

"Sure." She pulled the door to let him through, clicking the lock into place. He stood in the middle of her room a bit awkwardly, as if unsure what to do or say. Natasha pushed her hair behind her ears and slowly approached him.

"Wanna sit down?"

He did, at the corner of her bed, staring at the ground while she resumed her previous position beside her laptop. The sound of her fingers typing on the keyboard filled the air, and Natasha sneaked a glance at him. He looked worn out; pale and a bit clammy. Sighing, Natasha tossed him a water bottle, which he caught without even looking up.

"You know, if you're gonna sit there and not talk, you might as well help me sort through this garbage."

Her trademark smirk spread across her face when he scooted over to her and pulled the screen slightly towards himself. Moonlight poured in from the large window, casting weird shadows around the room, like ghosts creeping to life. Steve's eyebrows lifted in concern when he saw the amount of things she had to do.

"My offer still stands you know. You could totally take over this team," he teased.

"And my answer remains the same," she shot back. Her voice changed into a slightly more serious tone. "This team needs you Steve. It hasn't even been three days and cracks are already spreading." His blue eyes reflected the laptop screen as he looked up at her. Opening the water bottle, he took a large sip before opening his mouth:

"I know… I just need a little bit of time I guess. The past few days - years really, have been shit."

Despite what he said, a wicked grin grew on Natasha's face, and he suddenly realized why. "Don-,"

"That's not a very appropriate way to say things is it now?" she interrupted, and he groaned. She elbowed him in the ribs and laughed.

"Now get started on these documents, soldier."

He sent her an irritated look, but it was contradicted by the affection in his eyes. They both sat there for the next hour, filing away important details and discarding junk. Natasha grew increasingly tired as the minutes trickled by, and Steve didn't even notice she'd fallen asleep until he looked over to ask a question and saw her slumped against his left shoulder, her breaths coming out in small, evenly spaced puffs. Steve smiled at how innocent she seemed while asleep, and returned his attention to the laptop. Two o clock came and went by, and it was almost three when he decided to call it a night. Natasha was still passed out on his shoulder; he could barely even feel is arm. He was about to lower her onto the bed when red lights suddenly flashed on the screen. Steve narrowed his eyes and glanced at the piece of technology. The lights abruptly halted, and a black background popped up. On it, in bright white letters, a message blinked in and out. Steve tried to read it but it seemed to be in some kind of code.

"Natasha. Natasha! Wake up!" He shook her shoulders and her eyes snapped open suddenly. She squinted at him and then noticed the flashing on the screen. The drowsiness vanished immediately and she leapt out of the bed, ripping open the nightstand's drawer and snatching a slightly crumpled sheet of paper and a pencil. Flattening it on the table top, she looked up at the screen, then back down, scribbling down the decoded words. Steve watched in slight amazement that turned into confusion when Natasha stilled. The color faded from her face, and her green eyes darkened.

"What?" Steve asked. "What does it say?" She handed him the paper and Steve's heart jumped into his throat.

 **HYDRA PRESENCE IN AFRICA. MULTIPLE PLAYERS INVOLVED. OPERATION STARTING IN LESS THAN 16 HOURS. CONFIRMED SIGHTING OF THE WINTER SOLDIER. OUTSKIRTS OF WAKANDA.**

A set of coordinates followed. Steve stared up at Natasha, who had already shot up and was grabbing her equipment from around the room.

"Wake up Wanda and Sam. Tell Sam to suit up and Wanda to bring some undercover clothes."

Steve was still sitting on the bed.

"What are you waiting for?" Natasha said urgently. "Go get them and meet me at the quinjet in ten. And hurry!"

* * *

Natasha ripped open the doors to the hangar and grabbed the quinjet's keys of the table. No one was there, which wasn't a surprise since it was three in the morning. She rushed into the plane and jabbed at the controls. A slight whirring sound reverberated from the aircraft as it hummed to life. Natasha flipped switches up and down, preparing it for takeoff, then turned around to see if the others had arrived. Taking out her tablet, she leafed through news reports, and popped up the message she had transferred from her laptop.

Faint voices echoed down the hangar, and Natasha looked up to see Steve and the other two Avengers jogging towards the quinjet. The two soldiers had changed into their uniforms, while Wanda had thrown on a murky green jacket over a blue top, along with ripped jeans and a pair of combat boots. They piled into the jet, and Natasha shut the ramp, taking the pilot's seat and immediately lifting the plane.

As the assassin maneuvered the quinjet out the hangar, Sam and Wanda began to bombard Steve with questions.

"What the hell is going on?" Sam exclaimed.

"We got a message from one of Natasha's…sources giving us coordinates of someplace in Africa. Hydra's making a move. A big one."

"This is coming out of nowhere," Wanda said, irritation flashing across her face. "Is this even an official mission?"

Steve shook his head. "Technically no. But there was a confirmed sighting of the Winter Soldier, and there are more people and groups involved in this."

"Why the hell would Bucky be in Africa?"

"I don't know Sam. But we have less than 16 hours to figure this out and-,"

"Guys," Natasha interrupted from the front seat. "I trust this source. It's one of my most accountable ones, and we can't ignore a serious situation like this."

Wanda perked up. "That mission you four went on months ago. With the new HYDRA leader. Do you think this could be connected?"

Steve thought about it and glanced at Natasha. She shrugged. "It's a major possibility. The last time I received a message from this guy, Clint and I were able to stop a rogue organization from blowing up a bomb in the middle of Paris."

Sam sat down on a seat with a sigh and rummaged through the bag he'd brought along. He extracted some gadgets, slinging on his grappling hook gauntlet and attaching the remote to his drone onto his suit.

Steve leaned over Natasha's shoulder and glanced at the screen where she'd entered the coordinates. "How long?" he asked.

"At the rate I'm pushing this thing?" Natasha mused. "Approximately nine and a half hours. We'll have less than five to mobilize after landing if we want to stay ahead of HYDRA." She regarded him for a second. "You look dead. Get some sleep, I'll wake you once we get close."

Steve nodded and headed to the small mattress tucked into the corner next to the med kits. Wanda had moved up to talk to Natasha, and Sam had already settled in his seat and closed his eyes. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

It was funny how fast Hill was able to figure out that they'd left. They were only two hours into the trip when static burst through the headset Natasha had on. She winced and almost ripped them off when the agent's voice exploded through.

"You mind telling me why in the world you all are headed to Africa?" she asked, outraged. "I thought you of all people would know to report this Romanoff. Instead, I wake up to a bazillion messages and phone calls saying that The Avengers and their quinjet are gone."

"Keep this off the record Maria," Natasha warned.

"And why exactly would I do that?"

"Paris, 2007." Silence followed Natasha's simple statement.

"You're joking. That was nine years ago! How is that source still even up and running?"

"It is," Natasha said, "and the situation is complicated. "I'll get back to you afterwards, but keep anyone else out of it, at least for now. Especially Stark. Don't breathe a word to him."

"You know you're asking me to go against my boss right?"

"Yep. And if you want to keep the bones in your face intact, I suggest you listen to what I say."

Natasha pulled of the headset and slammed it aside. Wanda, Sam, and Steve were fast asleep in the back of the quinjet, the glow of the now rising sun coating their faces through the window shield. Getting out of the seat, Natasha flipped the jet to autopilot and ruffled through her equipment. She'd brought along her usual gadgets; her widow bites, grappling hook, Glocks, and electric discs. The batons however, were with her combat suit, which she had left in the armory.

* * *

Six long hours later, Natasha woke up Steve and Sam; Wanda had already gotten up two hours before. Steve seemed surprised that he's actually slept that long, considering the events that had occurred the last couple of days. Natasha had gotten them past the west coast of Africa, and they were about an hour away from the coordinates Natasha' source had provided. One hour to discuss the plan.

"Ok," Natasha announced, rubbing her hands together, "there's a lot of things we have to consider. I searched up the general area the coordinates were centered around, and it seems to be a condensed area of rundown villages."

"There's still quite a large population; we can't just go barging in guns blazing," Wanda added.

"Wanda and I will go undercover, scout out the area and get an overall assessment of what we're dealing with. Once Hydra realizes we're here, they're going to go on the offensive, and that means civilians need to be protected at all costs." Natasha took a deep breath. "This _cannot_ be another Sokovia."

Steve fixed his armor straps and snapped his shield onto his back. "Sam and I'll take care of any threats Hydra presents. You two need to keep your eyes peeled. Officials, agents, groups, anyone who seems to be part of another party, you follow them and pursue. The source mentioned that we won't be the only ones there."

The team checked and double checked all their armor and belongings. Natasha slid a beige jacket over her white top and laced up her knee high brown boots. She tossed a knife to Wanda, who pocketed it after a moment's hesitation.

"Just in case."

Natasha resumed her place at the cockpit, and the other three stood around the computer, scanning last minute details while the ex-Russian assassin activated the plane's stealth mode and looked for a good place to land. Sam glanced out the window and saw filthy markets stretching out in between small shacks and other buildings. People and vehicles swarmed the area, going upon their business like any other day, completely unaware of the things that were about to go down.

The screen in front of Natasha pinged, notifying the team that they'd arrived, and Natasha carefully landed the quinjet in an isolated area approximately a mile away from the busy markets. The atmosphere inside the aircraft was extremely tense; like waiting for a ticking time bomb to go off. As soon as the ramp lowered, they exited quickly, squinting at the blinding sun. The air was almost agonizingly hot, and had they not been in peak condition due to their excessive training, the Avengers would have collapsed by the time they reached the outskirts of the village.

Wanda tossed them all earpieces, checking the line before activating the signal.

Natasha turned to Sam and Steve. "Alright. Whatever's about to go down, it's gonna happen in less than 3 hours. You two, stay out of sight until either Wanda or I contacts you. We'll head in and look for any suspicious activity."

Sam nodded and Steve gave Natasha a significant look. As Sam conversed with Wanda, Natasha passed by Steve and whispered, "If I can, I'll find him."

Steve gave her one last smile before she turned around with Wanda and carefully blended into the active crowd that instantly swallowed them. The two soldiers looked at each other.

"Well," Sam began, "now we wait?"

"Now we wait," Steve affirmed.

* * *

Wanda followed closely behind Natasha as the older woman navigated through the dense environment, keeping an eye on her trademark red hair. They made their way across the markets for a few minutes before Natasha suddenly veered to the side and took a seat outside a small café. The small umbrella above the table and chairs offered some relief from the relentless sun, and Wanda finally was able to catch her breath.

Natasha slipped on a pair of sunglasses and turned to Wanda. "Keep your eyes peeled alright?"

Wanda nodded, wishing she'd brought s pair of sunglasses herself. She let out a deep breath and squirmed a little in her seat while Natasha left to get them some iced coffee. Upon returning, she glanced at Wanda uncertainly.

"You seem more nervous than usual. Relax; remember your training and stay casual. Everything will be fine."

"I know," Wanda muttered, "I just have a bad feeling about this op."

"Well, you're not alone. Barnes is too smart to get himself caught, and I have a slight suspicion that although Hydra's after him, there's something else in this place."

Natasha had muted her and Wanda's earpiece before starting the conversation; she didn't want Steve hearing in.

"I guess we'll find out soon enough right?"

Scanning the crowd once again and taking a small sip from her coffee, Natasha leaned back and said, "If the source was right we've got two hours befor-"

A loud screeching sound filled the air, and the crowd bristled suddenly in panic; screams erupting.

The two Avengers shot up out of their chairs in alarm. A large black truck barreled through the rapidly moving jumble of people, smashing aside cars as it made its way to the center of the marketplace.

Natasha snapped on her earpiece and shouted into it, "Steve! Sam! We've got company."

Wanda had already darted forward towards the commotion, and they both could hear Steve and Sam sprinting towards them through the com link. The back of the truck slammed open with a loud _bang_ and a group of Hydra soldiers jumped out, brandishing their weapons at the panicked civilians running around. Natasha whipped out one of her guns and shot one of the soldiers with extreme accuracy; but the bullet glanced off his reinforced helmet like it was a tiny pebble. All attention turned to the two women standing off to the side, and grabbing Wanda, Natasha began to sprint away from the group.

A pounding of feet followed them; bullets ricocheting of cars they vaulted over and buildings they ran behind. A large red drone suddenly appeared in front of the four soldiers pursuing Natasha and Wanda. It shot a stunning shot, and the soldiers collapsed onto the ground. Sam whisked down from the sky, the red in his suit glistening in the sunlight as he flew over the already recovering men. Wanda sent a wave of energy; knocking down two as they got up. Natasha had already converged on the others and wrapped her thighs around one, snapping his neck before ripping off the other's helmet and sending a bullet through his skull.

Steve sprinted into the area only moments after, and had just turned to the truck when a blast shot out of the back and hit him straight in the chest. Other Hydra agents had already spread through the streets, Sam going after them, but as Steve lifted himself off the ground, a large figure dropped down from the vehicle. It was human, but covered from head to toe in a large suit that had extra mechanisms attached all over it and white paint on the helmet and chest, forming the image of a skull and two bones crossing. Only the man's eyes showed through the helmet; dark and dangerous and surrounded by deep burn scars.

"Well, well, well," the man under the suit taunted. "Isn't it the one and only Captain America?" Confusion coated Steve's face when he realized he'd heard that voice before.

"Rumlow?"

"That's Crossbones to you." He raised his arm and Steve barely had time to duck behind his shield before bullets rained down on him. The super soldier lunged across the space between them and slammed his shield into the ex-S.H.I.E.L.D agent, only managing to force him back a couple of spaces.

Meanwhile, Natasha had hopped onto an old motorbike and was racing through the people still wandering through the chaos, Sam soaring above her with his drone following closely behind. The soldiers had released some of their own air drones, which Wanda was currently taking care of. Due to the civilians, Sam and Natasha had to put their guns away, and Sam ended up having to speed towards his targets and slam into them.

Wanda ducked down behind a smoking van and hissed as a bullet slightly grazed her arm. It stung, but she'd handled worse. The drones seemed to be multiplying as fast as she took them down, and it was making her angry.

Steve was locked in close combat with Rumlow, and received a heavy blow to the gut which was followed by a harsh kick to the ribs. The suit obviously provided increased strength, since it felt like Steve had been hit by a battering ram. Still, he leapt to his feet and, blocking a blow with his shield and spinning around with surprising grace, landed a punch right underneath Rumlow's chin.

"Wanda," Natasha yelled into her earpiece, "get rid of those drones and meet me next to the fruit market three streets east of you!" A Hydra agent suddenly appeared next to her bike and blasted her with his gun, knocking the assassin to the ground. The Black Widow snarled as she rolled into a standing position and lunged at the soldier, jamming one of her knives into a weak spot in his armor. She leapt over the hood of a yellow van and sprinted to cover.

"And hurry!"

Wand grimaced as she lifted a car with her powers and slammed it onto the drones. They flattened like pancakes, and the Avenger sprinted towards the location she'd received from Natasha. As she ran, Sam flew over her, heading to where Steve was battling Crossbones; Hydra soldiers aiming at him from below. Wanda rammed into one with all her strength and smashed his head through the window of the abandoned vehicle next to her. He went down immediately, and she clipped a grenade off his belt and activated it, throwing it toward another agent who didn't have anyone standing near him and was still shooting at Sam. She didn't even look back to see where it landed, but the explosion and screams that followed were self-explanatory. Finally arriving at where Natasha had instructed, an arm reached out from behind a building and snatched her into cover.

Natasha stood there, breathing heavily and soot covering her face and hands.

"You made it. There are other soldiers navigating through these crowds right now. And they're not Hydra."

Wanda sent her a sharp glance. "You think it's the other party?" They both ducked as a car exploded not ten feet away from them, and Natasha whipped one of her electric discs into the neck of a Hydra soldier who was making her way over to them.

"Has to be. They're not engaging the civilians – protecting them actually. Some of them at least; the others are headed towards a different location."

They heard explosions echoing from where Steve was. Smoke rose into the air.

Suddenly, two dark skinned men came around the corner of the street Natasha and Wanda were on, and stopped abruptly when they saw the two agents standing there. They dashed away in a different direction, and the next thing Wanda knew, Natasha was running after them. The assassin was right at their heels, but the soldiers knew their way around and found shortcuts. Still, Natasha somersaulted over booths and cars and continued the chase. Wanda tried to follow them as best as she could, but the crowd of people still rushing around blocked her way, and she lost sight of the three sprinting individuals.

"Damn it!"

Someone screamed behind Wanda, and she turned around to see three Hydra agents shoving through the crowd and firing off multiple shots. A vicious expression formed on her face, and she shoved down the agents with brutal force. While they were down, she flung her knife at one and lifted the other two only to slam them down again. Their visors cracked, as well as their bones; Wanda wasn't going to leave until she was sure they were dead.

 **It's starting! Hope y'all enjoyed this chapter, I had a good time writing it :) Tell me what you think, and thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

" _ **If it was the other way around, and it was down to me to save your life—and you be honest with me—would you trust me to do it?"**_

Natasha's legs burned as she ran after the two seemingly local militia men, but she still followed closely behind.

"These guys just keep on coming!" Sam's frustrated voice emanated from her earpiece.

Natasha took a sharp turn and kept her eyes trained on the men she was following. "How's Steve holding up?" she asked, panting.

"Rumlow's kicking his ass, but he's keeping the fight away from the civilians."

"Rumlow? I thought he went down with the Triskelion?"

"He did. They must've found a way to keep him alive."

She pushed through a gaggle of teenagers and heard gunfire echoing both from her earpiece and around her.

Wanda's voice suddenly interrupted. "Natasha! I'm following your tracker now – should be there in a couple of minutes." She used her powers to somersault herself over cars and stands, whipping past civilians in a flash.

The Black Widow stopped and ducked behind an overturned booth. She peered around the corner and saw the two soldiers disappear into a large and slightly fortified structure. It wasn't like the buildings around it; cameras lined the corners and the doors were made of thick steel.

"They've entered some kind of base, I'm standing right outside it."

Natasha heard Wanda breathing hard through the communicator. Narrowing her eyes, she noticed that civilians had cleared from the area, leaving it isolated.

"Wanda…you might want to hurry."

The out of breath Avenger suddenly appeared and slid down next to Natasha, who kept her eyes trained on the building's entrance. Natasha had her guns out, checking the mags and slipping them back into place with a small click.

"What's…the…plan…now?" Wanda asked, leaning heavily against the booth. She saw the assassin's eyes rapidly scan the perimeter, but when she opened her mouth to respond, a loud screeching echoed from both their ears; their earpieces were fried. Natasha fished out the tiny ruined piece of technology and examined it, more alert than ever.

"EMP. Close range." The two women glanced at each other, and Natasha suddenly got up and started to drag Wanda with her. They only made it a couple of paces before three soldiers blocked their exit, and when they looked up, more were on the roofs. Natasha fired her weapons, taking down the soldiers in front of them while Wanda knocked off the ones on the roof with her powers. The two Avengers disposed of the soldiers within seconds; a dozen bodies littered the ground.

They had just stopped to take a breath when an object flew towards their feet, letting off a loud bang and flash, disorienting the two women. Wanda fell to her knees, and Natasha was staggering forward when the base doors suddenly opened and they were shoved roughly inside.

They hit the floor hard and rolled into a standing position. Or at least, tried to. A fist flew into Wanda's face and knocked her back down while Natasha received a harsh blow to the stomach. Blinking hard, Natasha looked up and tried to analyze the room they were in. It was quite large, but with dim lighting. Doors lined the walls and many trapdoors were on the floor. Natasha assumed they led somewhere underground, but had no idea why.

Someone walked in front of her and forced her into a sitting position; the rough floor dug into her knees.

"Why are you here?"

"Could ask you the same thing." The man punched her in the face, hard.

"I'll ask again. What business to the Avengers have in Africa? How dare you come back here after the destruction you caused last year?"

Natasha spit out a mouthful of blood and glared up at the giant soldier. Uneasiness entered her stomach when she saw the way the men were looking at Wanda, and she suspected that they knew about her involvement with the Hulk's destruction. "Look, we're not here to hurt anyone. We received a tip off that Hydra was going to make an appearance, and we came to stop them."

"And this has nothing to do with the Winter Soldier?" Natasha's heart skipped a beat, but her expression betrayed nothing of the thoughts that were rapidly flying across her mind.

"The Winter Soldier's been off the radar for years," Natasha said firmly. "We're here to stop a threat to peace, it's our job." The man chuckled darkly, and he signaled something to a pair of soldiers. They left the room and disappeared behind a door.

"And a great job you're doing at that. Do you know how many people have died today, and are still suffering?"

"The team's working on diffusing the situation-,"

"I don't care! No one does! The Avengers are nothing but a nuisance on this world. And we're going to teach you a lesson." The door opened again, and the two soldiers walked in, one carrying a weird contraption in his hands. Natasha caught Wanda's eyes and gave the younger woman a slight nod. A burst of scarlet energy enveloped the room, knocking down the soldiers who were constraining them both.

Natasha jumped into action and promptly kneed the soldier in front of her in the gut. As he doubled over in pain, she jabbed her hand into his neck and activated her widow bites, releasing a spray of electric shocks into his body. She whipped one of her electric discs at another soldier and he collapsed to the ground, convulsing. However, things went quickly downhill from there. Two soldiers tackled Natasha, knocking her to the ground, and another flashbang was released, forcing Wanda back and allowing the men to handcuff her against the wall.

The man who'd been interrogating Natasha stood up shakily with a livid expression on his face. Snarling, he grabbed the contraption that the soldiers had brought in and made his way towards Wanda. He lifted her face and, turning to Natasha, said, "You want to me to show you how this works?" He waved the metallic object around. Natasha resisted viscously, but the soldiers kept her well restrained.

Grinning, the man placed the object around Wanda's head, locking it into place. Wanda was still a bit dizzy from the flashbang, but her eyes were slowly coming back to focus, and she struggled. Natasha caught her eyes, and for the first time, Wanda saw fear flash across the assassin's face.

The soldier removed a small remote from his belt and pressed a small red button on it. Instantly, Wanda's face screwed up in agony, and she began to scream. And she didn't stop. She kept on screaming and screaming, her cries echoing off the walls. Natasha's blood was boiling in anger. She felt her mind go blank, and pure rage took over.

The Black Widow's eyes reflected the devil himself, and she whipped around and snapped the neck of one of the soldiers keeping her back. He fell to the ground as limp as a ragdoll, and she smashed her head into the nose of another soldier. As soon as his hands moved to cover his bloody nose, she swept his feet out underneath him and grabbed his gun, shooting a bullet through the forehead of the soldier who had clicked the button on the remote.

Wanda was still screaming, and she had curled into herself. The other soldiers began to converge on Natasha, removing knives and guns from their uniforms. Natasha had already disposed of more than half the soldiers in the room, and she moved from one to the other, breaking bones and driving her knives into their bodies. Her hands were splattered with blood.

Someone slashed their knife across her back, but she kicked the man in his kneecap, shattering it, and continued fighting as if nothing had happened. At one point, two soldiers pinned Natasha to the ground and stomped on her side. She felt several of her ribs crack, but leapt right back up and stabbed them both in the neck. They hadn't even fallen down before she'd sprinted towards another and wrapped her thighs around his neck, making him crash into another soldier. A quick twist and a gunshot later, both were on the ground, dead.

A few minutes later, the Black Widow had turned around only to find that every single soldier in the room was either dead on the ground, or pinned to the wall in nightmarish ways. Her knife looked like it had been fished out of a lake of blood, as well as half her face and most of her clothes. Wanda's screams had ceased; the woman was now sobbing painfully, too tired to even yell.

Natasha's breath came out unevenly, and she stumbled towards Wanda, ripping the despicable contraption off her head. Wanda flinched violently when Natasha tried to turn her head, so the assassin focused on removing her handcuffs instead. They came off the railing they'd been attached to with a pop.

"Wanda, it's me. Come on, open your eyes." Natasha saw Wanda hesitate, but she obliged. Her eyes were shrouded with pain, and they widened when she took in Natasha's appearance. The Black Widow was covered in so many cuts and bruises, Wanda couldn't even tell how many there were, or who's blood was who's. Her arm hung at a weird angle; her left shoulder seemed to be dislocated. Wanda then looked around the room, and saw the bodies of the soldiers scattered everywhere.

She swallowed, and croaked, "You killed them all?"

Natasha dropped her head down and nodded. "They weren't going to stop otherwise. Can you stand? We have to get out of here."

She helped Wanda get up, and they could already begin to hear the shouts of soldiers nearby. Natasha shouldered open the heavy door and they stumbled back under the burning sun. Suddenly, the earpiece in Wanda's ear flickered to life.

"Natasha! Wanda! Answer me god damn it!" Sam sounded close to hysteria, and Wanda almost collapsed in relief at the sound of his voice.

"Sam! Where are you?" Wanda asked. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Natasha double over and cough violently, blood dripping down various parts of her body.

"Where are _you_?! We've been trying to contact you for ages! Your trackers stopped responding."

"We ran into some trouble. EMP disconnected the line. You mind picking us up?" She glanced worriedly at Natasha, who looked like she would pass out any second.

Sam, who was soaring over the market area, consulted the electronic tracker on his wrist and searched again for Wanda's signal. It popped up, roughly a quarter of a mile away.

"On my way now!"

Wanda blew out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding, and turned to Natasha. They heard vehicles in the distance, and the two battered women moved behind a building to provide themselves better cover.

Less than a minute later, Sam dropped down in front of them, beat up and tired, but alive. He sent a concerned glance to Natasha, and started,

"Okay, I think I can-,"

They all heard a loud bang and a bullet suddenly pierced Sam's arm. Wanda pulled him forward and they all ducked down. Natasha whipped out her gun and returned fire, but her aim was off. Blood trickled down Sam's arm; and the vehicles approached faster and faster.

Sam groaned as Wanda pressed her hands against the wound. Natasha looked at him and said, "Take Wanda and leave Sam."

Wanda sent her an incredulous look. "No! We're not leaving you behind!" Natasha moved forward and shoved Sam to his feet, pressing her crimson hand against the button that activated his wings again.

"You can't carry us both and get out of here alive." Wanda opened her mouth to protest, but Natasha continued, more forcefully. "That's an order Wanda! Now get out of here!"

Sam approached Wanda, but she backed away from him. "I can't."

Natasha sent a meaningful glance towards Sam, and he gritted his teeth. He wrapped his arms around Wanda's middle and shot off into the air, dodging the spray of bullets that followed them.

"No!" Wanda screamed. "We have to go back Sam. We have to go back!"

Natasha closed her eyes and dropped her gun. When she opened them, five soldiers surrounded her, pointing their weapons at the injured Avenger. She didn't resist as they wrestled her to the ground and handcuffed her. The last thing she saw before a boot smashed into the back of her head was the small outline of Sam carrying a struggling Wanda away from her to safety.

 **What's going to happen when they go back without Natasha? Tensions are gonna be rising soon :) Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed! Hope you liked this chapter.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

" _ **This is the end. The end of the path I started us on."**_

Sam flew them all the way to the quinjet, which was quite a difficult feat, considering the fact that his arm was throbbing painfully and Wanda hadn't stopped struggling until they'd gotten a mile away. Hydra had fallen back; any remaining soldiers piling themselves into their vehicles and racing out of the markets. Steve had managed to make Crossbones retreat, and informed Sam that he was making his way back to the quinjet.

The tired ex-marine felt like he was going to collapse, but he lowered the plane's door and stumbled inside, grabbing a med kit. His insides burned with the guilt of leaving Natasha behind, even though he knew that it had been the right thing to do. Wanda had a blank expression on her face. Sam didn't know what had happened to them after the earpieces had disconnected, but it obviously hadn't been good.

Although Wanda was angry with Sam, she snatched the med kit from his hands and began to clean out his wound, gently wiping away the streaks of blood. Neither would look the other in the face. She was applying a large white bandage over the swelling hole when Steve jogged inside the aircraft. His face was scratched up and he was walking a bit stiffly, but other than that, the super soldier looked alright.

"Hydra's officially gone from the area and-," he stopped, then glanced around the quinjet. He stared at the two seated Avengers with a confused expression. "Where's Natasha?"

Neither of them said anything, and the only sound came from the gauze that Wanda ripped in half to secure Sam's bandage. Steve felt his heart drop to his stomach.

"Where's Natasha?" he asked again. Sam looked up at Wanda, but she merely pursed her lips and began to pack up the bloody med cloths.

"I was going to pick them both up. And I got there fine, but I got shot in the arm. Natasha -," Sam swallowed and looked away in shame before finishing. "Natasha told me to get Wanda out, and I did." He got up shakily and hobbled to the cockpit, slumping in the seat and starting up the engine. "We should get out of here soon." He lifted them into the bright sky and activated stealth mode.

Steve was still standing there, blood trickling from the cuts on his face, and for the first time in months, he was unsure of what to do. Although she claimed otherwise, Natasha was the one who kept the team up and running, not him.

Wanda got up silently and made her way over to Steve. She tried to place a sanitizing cloth over the cuts on his face, but he turned away and slammed his shield onto a seat. He grabbed onto the wall, breathing heavily, and Wanda saw anger, pain, and frustration coat his face.

Although her instincts told her not to, Wanda approached Steve and said quietly,

"She's still alive Steve. As soon as we get back, I'm going after her. Whether anyone else wants to join me, that's up to them to decide. But I'll find her."

Steve slumped into a seat and covered his face with his hands. "I don't know what's going to happen when we get back Wanda. This is going to blow up in our faces just like Sokovia."

"We stopped Hydra."

"And how many died before we were able to do that?" he snapped. "Stark's going to be pissed, just like everyone else." Steve narrowed his eyes and suddenly stared at Wanda. "What happened anyways? After the com got disconnected?"

Wanda sat down next to the battered man and took a deep breath, then began to recount the painful experience. When she mentioned the Winter Soldier, she saw Steve's jaw clench, but he didn't say anything. She hesitated slightly before talking about the metal contraption they'd placed on her head, and again when she had to describe what Natasha did to the soldiers.

While they were talking, Sam got up from the pilot's seat, having activated the autopilot, and began to remove his slightly charred suit.

"These soldiers, do you know who they're working for?"

Wanda shook her head. "They never said anything about a leader, but they seemed to be reporting under someone else, and the base looked a bit ragged." She paused, trying to remember some of the details. "They were digging underground for something, judging by the amount of trapdoors they had leading down."

Sam placed his wings in his bag and announced, "We're nine hours away. I've put the jet on autopilot for now, but we should take shifts."

Steve nodded at him and got up stiffly, having calmed down a bit. The three of them tried to get comfortable, but Natasha's absence hammered at them every second; opening a hole not only in their team, but in their hearts as well.

* * *

The jet landed at the facility just as the sun was beginning to rise in New York. As soon as the three Avengers exited the vehicle, they found Hill, Rhodey, The Vision, and Stark all waiting for them. No one said anything until they entered the conference room, which was right outside the hangar but a safe place from any eavesdroppers.

The door to the room shut behind them and Stark immediately erupted,

"What the _hell_ were you guys thinking? And where's Romanoff?"

Steve tossed his shield onto the table and crossed his arms. "We received a tip off that Hydra was going to do something big in Africa, and we went there to stop them."

"Under whose authority?" Stark demanded.

"Under our own," Steve said, raising his voice slightly.

Hill interrupted. "You still haven't told us where Natasha is."

Silence followed. "Agent Romanoff made the call to stay behind to protect the lives of Sam and Wanda, resulting in her capture." The words burned in Steve's throat as he said them, but he didn't look away from the eyes of the two team members who hadn't been part of the mission.

"So you basically went ahead and damned a village to hell, along with one of your core team members. That's some great captaincy Rogers!"

Steve balled his hands into fists and seemed ready to throttle Tony, but Wanda placed her small hand on his shoulder. She looked at the people standing around the room.

"If it's anyone's fault for Natasha being captured, it's mine," she said. "Natasha almost died freeing me, and that wouldn't have happened if I hadn't put myself in a compromising position."

The Vision suddenly spoke up. "I don't think now's the time to be putting blame on each other. Natasha knew what she was doing; she always does. We should be focusing on how to deal with the destruction that just happened in Africa, and what we can do to fix this mess."

The room fell silent at his words, and Rhodey suddenly noticed Sam wincing and the pained expression on Wanda's bruised face. "I think," he started, "that these three should go to medical and get a couple hours of sleep before we do anything."

Sam sent him a grateful look, and Hill nodded. Tony gritted his teeth and was the first to leave the room, and Rhodey followed, probably to make sure that the genius didn't do anything stupid.

Hill went with them to the infirmary, where they got their injuries treated and were given instructions to take it easy for a bit. They all knew that wasn't going to happen. The agent told them their psych exams would be taken after they woke up, and a tense expression flickered across Wanda's face. Sam was the only one who noticed.

The sun was up fully now, and the beat individuals collapsed onto their beds in exhaustion. Sam fell asleep in a second, but it took longer for the other two. Steve was overcome with guilt, and Wanda was terrified of what she would see if she slept. When they'd put that thing on her head, she hadn't screamed because of the pain. She screamed because every single thing she ever feared crawled into the forefront of her mind and put itself on display. She saw unspeakable things happen to the people he cared about, and any harsh memory of her past developed into one that was ten times worse.

* * *

Four hours later, they crawled out of bed and tried to freshen up as best as they could. Hill collected them from their rooms, and they all proceeded to the dining hall. They were starving from their ordeal, but no one really had an appetite. Nevertheless, the three of them forced some breakfast down; an empty stomach wouldn't improve how they were feeling.

Wanda wanted to go down to the communications center and start searching for Natasha immediately, but Hill forced them all back to medical. Psych evaluations were necessary after each mission and Wanda usually tolerated them well enough, but this time was different. Steve and Sam went first. Wanda was trembling slightly when the doctor called her in. As soon as the door closed behind them however, she used her powers to force the smiling psychologist into making up her evaluation. Wanda knew what would happen if Hill found out, but she did it anyways, making her way back to the others with a forced smile on her face.

They all met back at the gym; Hill had made sure it would be empty. Rhodey was trying to get Tony to drink some coffee, but the tired billionaire waved him away. No one said anything for a while. The atmosphere was becoming increasingly tense, and Wanda suspected it was because of what Tony had said the Steve when they'd arrived. Wanda cleared her throat and said,

"Have you started a search for Natasha yet?"

Hill ran a hand through her hair. "We tried for a bit, but they seemed to have disabled her tracker, and I don't have an inkling of where they would take her."

"We can't focus on Romanoff now," Tony said. Wanda sent him a chilling look. "I've gotten so many reports in the last five hours I don't even know where to start. There's going to be a hearing though." He stared at Steve. "Soon."

"I have been scanning various news reports and eyewitness accounts for the last few hours," Vision added. "The majority are not in your favor, Captain."

Steve rubbed his face and sighed. "We didn't want any of this to happen."

"And yet it did, didn't it?" Tony spit out. "You know Steve, if you'd just-"

"Just _what_ huh? Listened to you? Last time any of us thought of doing that, the whole world almost got destroyed!"

"Yea, you're right. But you'd think after going through something like that, a guy would learn not to repeat it right? Guess your brain still needs some thawing out after all that time under."

"Man, shut the hell up," Sam interrupted, stepping right in front of Tony. "You might be a genius, and you might have helped create this team, but you are _not_ in control. I don't give a shit that you make it rain green. You were an Avenger once. So _act_ like it."

Rhodey put a hand on Sam's shoulder, but the soldier shoved it off.

Tony bristled. "Who's the one dealing with the backlash of this mess? Who's the one funding relief efforts right this moment to help the people that got hurt because of _your_ actions? This was your call! Not mine!"

"We prevented a disaster!" Wanda exclaimed. "A lot more people would have died if we hadn't been there."

"You guys don't get it do you? The main reason people are angry is because you shouldn't have been there. No one told The Avengers they were needed on this mission."

Steve spoke up. "Natasha's source informed us that something was going to happen. Did you seriously expect us just to sit back and do nothing?"

"And you just thought you'd trust this source?" Tony shot back.

"I trust Natasha."

Tony smirked. "You sure about that Rogers?

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Wanda interrupted, her eyes blazing with a fire similar to Natasha.

"That _means_ that you all may think you know Natasha, but there's a lot more to her than you realize. She's a liar – has been for her entire life."

"We know she's had a rough past," Wanda retorted. "But people change. Natasha's a better friend than you could ever be - she doesn't put her burdens on others."

"How much of that past has she told you about?"

Steve clenched his hand into fists. "None of us care what she's done in her past. That's her business, and it will remain that way until she thinks otherwise."

"Oh I think you'll care Steve," Tony said, a small smile on his face.

The super soldier scoffed. "And why's that?"

"Because she slept with your best friend."

It fell silent. Wanda looked at Steve uncertainly.

"You-,"

"I what? I don't know what I'm talking about? Go ahead, believe whatever you want, but Natasha knew who the Winter Soldier was when he attacked Fury. Not from Odessa. But because she was shacking up with him. She knew that Bucky Barnes was alive and didn't tell you."

Something flickered across Steve's face, but Sam and Wanda couldn't tell what.

Tony walked up to Steve and looked him straight in the eyes. "Chew on that and tell me if you trust her."

"That was years ago!" Sam exclaimed. "It doesn't matter now."

Tony glanced at him. "Oh it does Sam. It matters a lot more than any of you realize. Because Steve here has to contemplate whether he actually trusts his friends."

Rage was swirling in Steve's eyes, but he didn't say anything.

Laughing, Tony said, "That's what I thought."

Wanda suddenly spun around and began to leave the gym. She didn't look back, nor did she stop when Hill told her to. When the agent's hand enclosed around her wrist however, she shoved her back and let her eyes glow dark red. Hill instantly backed away.

"You can't just leave Wanda. Where are you going?" she demanded.

Wanda caught Steve's eyes over Hill's shoulder. "To find Natasha. I know none of you give a shit about what happens to her, but I do."

She wrenched open the gym doors and found ten agents standing outside of it. They were armed to the teeth, and although their weapons weren't pointed at her, they were in a formation that wouldn't allow her to leave.

"What the hell is this?" Wanda asked, outraged.

Hill crossed her arms. "We can't let any of you leave. Not yet, not until everything's sorted out."

Wanda was about to fling the agent all the way to the other end of the gym, but backed off when she saw Steve shake his head slightly at her. Don't make this worse, he told her through his pained eyes.

Oh, but worse it was going to get.

* * *

Wanda was walking angrily down the hallway towards the elevator when someone suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her aside. It was Sharon. The woman looked slightly out of breath, as if she'd been looking for Wanda for hours. The agents that had been following Wanda raised their eyebrows, and one was about to speak when Sharon snapped,

"Move on. This is a private matter." The group glanced at each other uncertainly.

" _Now,"_ Sharon ordered darkly. They dispersed quickly; not out of seeing range but far enough to not be able to eavesdrop.

Wanda was a bit concerned. She was friends with Sharon, but the ex-agent usually spent more time with Natasha and was often busy ever since she'd joined the CIA after the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D.

The blonde woman turned back to Wanda with a small smile.

"I heard what happened, and I'm sorry about Natasha. Where've you gotten with tracking her?"

"Nowhere!" Wanda exclaimed. "Hill said she tried but Stark doesn't give a crap about Natasha right now, and the jackass won't even let any of us leave the building!"

"I can though."

Wanda's eyes lit up, then fell. "Don't you have to go back to the CIA?"

"I quit last night. Watching the news…I knew things aren't going to be the same for a while." Sharon paused as a group of agents shuffled by. "Anyways, I can pull a few favors and try to find Natasha."

Wanda thought about it for a minute and sighed. "Honestly, I don't want to draw too much attention to her absence right now. A lot of people are angry, and I don't want this leading back to you. It'll just make things worse."

"I understand." Sharon nodded. "But if there's anything else you need me to do, don't hesitate to ask me alright?"

"Thanks Sharon," Wanda said. She was about to turn away when something popped to mind. "Actually, I think there might be something you could do."

Sharon looked over. "Shoot."

Wanda took a deep breath. "Barton. He must have heard about the incident on the news, but Stark's not letting us to contact anyone and even if we managed to, all our lines are bugged." Sharon saw pain flicker across Wanda's eyes. "He doesn't know about Natasha."

Sharon hugged Wanda and gave her a comforting smile. "I'm on it."

* * *

Clint was helping Laura clean up the kitchen at their farm. The family had just finished eating lunch, and Nathaniel sat on the high chair next to the table, gurgling and waving his hands around. The smiling baby was almost a year old now, and couldn't be healthier. Clint kissed his head and wiped the table with the cloth Laura had given him.

"Anything from Natasha yet?" Laura asked from the sink.

Clint looked up. "Not yet. But they've got a lot to deal with. She'll get back to me soon." He wasn't worried. Not really. Natasha could handle herself in tense situations; she'd done it a million times. They'd worked out a system of contacting each other a while back, and it only had been a day since the incident.

He heard a car pull up and narrowed his eyes. His kids came racing in shouting but laughing.

"Daddy, someone's here!"

"That's a really big car Mommy!"

Laura smiled and moved to the door with Clint; Nathaniel was tucked in her arms. The archer made his way down the porch steps towards the large black SUV that had parked on the gravel. The sound of a door thumping close came from the driver's side, and Clint saw a blonde haired woman step out. She was dressed casually; jeans and a jacket along with boots. He squinted slightly at the familiar face.

"Sharon?"

The woman broke out into a smile and walked over, hugging Laura in a greeting.

Laura smiled. "It's been a long time since we last saw you! How've you been?"

"Great, thanks." Nathaniel suddenly gave a high pitched giggle and Sharon leaned forward to give his cheeks a little pinch. "Oh look how big you've grown! You're going to be a big boy soon aren't you? Just like daddy!" She chuckled at the adorable baby and glanced over at Clint.

Clint grinned. "So what brings you here after this long?"

The ex-agent's smile fell suddenly, and she sighed. Her eyes fell on the older children and said quietly, "Could we talk somewhere private? Away from the kids?"

Laura frowned uncertainly but Clint nodded, and the three of them, along with Nathaniel, headed inside to the kitchen. The archer stopped by the kids and said some words to them. A few moments later, Sharon saw them run outside and begin to chase each other. Clint closed the front door and made his way over.

"So," he said, "what's going on?"

"You saw the news right?"

"I think everyone saw it."

"Yeah, well I just came from the Avengers Facility."

Laura raised her eyebrows. "Have you talked to Natasha? And why'd you come this far just to talk to us?"

Sharon shifted uncomfortably. "That's the thing. I haven't talked to Natasha, because Natasha never made it back from the mission." She saw the color drain from Clint's face, as well as Laura's.

"What do you mean she never made it back?"

"She let herself get captured so Sam and Wanda could escape. No one's heard from her since."

Clint swore violently. "And we're just hearing about this now?" he asked angrily.

Alarmed, Sharon took a step back. "Wanda wanted to come tell you, but the Avengers aren't allowed to leave the facility. Not for a while at least." She saw Clint open his mouth and knew what he was going to ask. "Their communications are being monitored too. Stark is pissed, and he doesn't really care about Natasha's situation right now."

"So no one's looking for her?"

Sharon regarded Laura and shook her head. "As of right now, no. But Natasha's been through this kind of stuff before. She'll be back soon."

Clint seemed ready to barge out the door with his bow and arrows and start looking for Natasha right that moment. Sharon knew she had to stop him before he did something stupid.

"Clint listen. I'm not telling you this so you can go barging off to search for her. I just didn't-,"

"You think I'm _not_ going after her?" Clint words were lined with barely controlled rage.

Sharon raised her voice as well. "You can't! This situation is already out of control – we don't need it to blow up even more."

"You left her there to die!"

"Hear yourself right now Clint! Are you just going to get up and leave your family? When they need you the most? You might not be on the Avengers team now, but you were. People are losing their shit, and they'll need someone to target. Not a lot of people know that you even have a family. I get that. But Stark knows. What would happen if he let the word out? Would Natasha forgive you for damning your own family to hell? Would you?"

As if on cue, Nathaniel suddenly burst into tears. Laura instantly moved him in her arms and walked to the side. She began to speak in a soothing tone to the bawling child, and Sharon sent Clint a pointed look. His eyes were tinged with red; filled with anger and despair.

"What do you want me to do then? Sit back and watch everything unfold?"

"I didn't say that. Keep your ears open and eyes peeled. I've been hearing some talk about an Act that governments around the world are whispering about, and you might have to make an appearance. Take caution. There's not a people left you can trust."

"I wanna go to the facility."

Sharon sighed. "Clint-"

"I won't go search for her! I just...I need to have a word with some people." He glanced at his wife and asked her with his eyes. She re-positioned a now quiet Nathaniel and pursed her lips.

"Alright," Laura said. "Just be back soon."

The archer dashed away immediately to grab his bow and a duffel bag full of necessities. He re-entered the kitchen in less than five minutes and called his kids inside. While Sharon talked quietly with Laura, he explained to them that he was leaving, just for a little bit, and that they shouldn't worry. He left out the part about Natasha.

Laura observed the three of them, uneasy, and rubbed the back of Nathaniel's head. A slight ping emanated from Sharon's pocket.

The ex-agent took out her phone and pulled up a new message."If we're doing this, then we should get going."

They all walked back to the door together. Sharon looked at them all one last time, her gaze lingering on the Nathaniel's innocent little face. She hugged Laura tightly.

"Keep him safe," Laura whispered.

"He'll be in good hands."

Clint kissed his wife and whispered some parting words to his children before walking to the car with Sharon. He tossed his equipment in the back while Sharon started up the vehicle, and took one last look at his farm and his family. They smiled and waved from the porch, and it almost felt like a normal family whose father was going away for a normal job.

But in the world of superheroes and Avengers, nothing is ever really normal.

 **I was going to upload this before, but I had guests over so I couldn't get it done. But thanks for reviewing! I know some people are wondering about romance in this story, and let me assure you that it will be included. I just wanted to focus on the big plot points first, but you'll definitely see pairings later on.**

 **Anyways, lots of new info in this chapter! Hope you liked it, and tell me what you thought :)**

 **Oh and you'll see Natasha next chapter, so stick around to find out what happened to her ;)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Warning: Slight violence in the beginning of this chapter.**

 **Chapter 9**

" _ **I only act like I know everything."**_

When Natasha finally came back to consciousness, she found herself lying on the floor of a dark room, her hands cuffed tightly together. The back of her head throbbed painfully, and she groaned when she sat up. They'd taken off her bloodied jacket and removed her boots. All the weapons she'd hidden under her clothes had been taken as well.

The beat up Avenger inhaled a sharp breath when her broken ribs stabbed at her lungs the wrong way, and she made the mistake of leaning her back against the wall behind her. She'd forgotten about the large gash she'd gotten from that knife, and the open wound stung agonizingly when it made contact with the freezing wall. Her left arm hung limply; the shoulder dislocated and painful.

Now that she'd regained most of her senses, her training kicked in, and she began to analyze the situation she was in. The room they'd thrown her in wasn't too large, and smelled of rust and oil. The door was made of metal; thick and reinforced. Dried blood littered the floor and parts of the wall, with shackles hanging in various places.

Natasha couldn't tell how much time had passed since they'd captured her, and hoped that the others had gotten away in time. If they had, they still had a lot of crap left to deal with once they got back to the facility. The incident would probably be on every news site; only adding to the hatred that they'd tried so hard to put down over the last year.

The door suddenly slammed open, and light spilled into the room, poking at the assassin's eyes. Natasha pushed herself up as much as she could without adding pressure to her injuries. A figure stepped inside, well-built but not too tall, and sauntered over to her position on the floor. His voice was deep, and he spoke with a sense of authority.

"Do you know why you're here?"

Natasha slowly looked into his face, finding it chiseled and covered in scars. Her eyes rapidly scanned the amount of weapons he had, and wandered down to the keys hanging on his belt before drifting back up.

"Mind telling me where _here_ is?"

He smiled and shifted down to a crouch, his head level with hers. Natasha didn't look away or shrink back even for a moment, something he admired. Not a lot of people talked back to him without fear in their voice.

"I know who you are, Natasha Romanoff." She stiffened slightly but her face remained impassive. "And I know what you've done. So much blood on your hands – the blood of innocent people who didn't deserve your cruelty. You call yourself an Avenger, someone who fights to protect people who need protection." He fingered a knife on his belt. "Let me tell you something, _Black Widow._ The Avengers aren't saviors. You all are _cowards._ "

Natasha swallowed, her throat dry. "Cowards?" she asked, her voice quiet. "Last time I remembered, cowards don't try and save a bunch of innocent people. We've done some bad things yes," she continued, not looking away from the man's intense gaze, "but cowards are those who can't save their own people and need to find someone else to put the blame on."

Silence followed her statement, and the next thing she knew, she was pressed against the wall, the man shoving his forearm against her throat and squeezing. His face was livid, and Natasha couldn't help but cry out when his fist smashed against her side, splintering her already weakened ribs. He threw her down roughly and pinned her to the ground with his large frame. She felt blood pour out from the gash in her back and stain her white top a crimson red. The man suddenly put pressure on her dislocated shoulder, twisting it, and Natasha thought she would pass out from the pain.

Struggling viciously, she bashed her face into his nose. A loud _crack_ echoed as it broke, she and scrambled to her knees as his hands flew to his bloody face. He lunged towards her again but she rolled to the side; black dots dancing across her vision. With all her remaining strength, she grabbed one of the shackles on the wall and ripped them off the wall. She whipped the metal chains into his face, causing him to fall backwards. He hit the floor hard. In an instant she was on him, her bloody thighs wrapping around his thick neck, but he recovered quickly and shoved her with brute force. Her back hit the wall with a sickening _thud_ and her head smacked to the floor.

The man grabbed the abandoned shackles off the floor; blood glistened on them from where Natasha had struck his face. As soon as Natasha managed to force herself up from the floor, he slammed them down on her, tearing open a large gash on her thigh. No sound escaped from her, but an agonizing expression formed on her face. Tossing the shackles aside, the man lifted her face by her hair and smashed his fist into her jaw, repeatedly. When he finally backed away, wiping blood from his face, she was barely conscious, breathing in ragged breaths and struggling to stay awake. She dimly hear the door slam shut behind the man as he left, and sagged against the cold wall, coughing up blood.

She thought of Wanda, and despite the pain racking through her body, a small smile appeared on her bruised face. The Black Widow wasn't that easy to put down. They'd realize that soon enough.

* * *

They must have drugged her, because when Natasha next woke up, she was in a much different cell; with polished metal walls and reinforced restraints on the door. There was an actual bed in the corner as well, along with a faucet. Natasha gingerly lifted herself off the thin mattress and grimaced as her wounds sent pain shooting up her body. She was surprised she was still alive considering the onslaught that she'd just gone through. Blood coated most of her body, and more still oozed from her open wounds. Her hands were still cuffed; her wrists had cuts in them that stung when she moved. It felt like someone was hammering at her head from the inside.

There were a pair of shoes by the edge of the bed. Natasha slipped her feet into them after a moment's hesitation. She sat on the thin mattress and stared at the camera that was slowly revolving on the ceiling; her face blank but her emerald eyes promising murder. The minutes ticked by; then hours. Hunger clawed at her, but she remained impassive. Not long after, several clicks echoed and the door slowly opened, sliding easily on the well-oiled hinges. Three heavily armed men walked in. They didn't look like the soldiers they'd intercepted at the base. They seemed more official; serious expressions on their face and their outfits more personalized.

"Come quietly, and no harm will come to you."

Natasha didn't answer immediately. Then, slowly, a wicked grin spread across her face, and one of the soldiers fidgeted slightly.

"I can do that." Two of the soldiers inched forward cautiously and secured her arms. Even though her hands were restrained by the cuffs, they weren't taking any chances. The third soldier walked behind them; his gun up and pointed at her back as they proceeded out the door. Natasha wanted nothing more than to snap their necks and get the hell out of there, but she knew she had to bide her time. Truthfully, some part of her was curious of where they were taking her. The soldier on her left pressed a little harder on her arm as they steered her down the hallway. Her shoulder throbbed, and she sent the man a severe glare, but he ignored her and kept his eyes forward.

She judged that they must be in some large facility, since they passed by rooms and laboratories in which lots of people roamed around in, ranging from scientists to soldiers. The individuals inside stopped to stare as she passed. As soon as she looked at them however, everyone went back to what they were doing. She smirked despite the situation. Even when locked up and restrained people feared the Black Widow. They always would.

Finally, they stopped at a large door and one of the soldiers knocked on it. It slid open smoothly, a slight hiss following the motion. The soldiers prodded Natasha in, and the door slid shut again, silencing all the sounds that could be heard from the hallway. The room was extravagant; technologized to the point it could have made Stark jealous. There was a large table in the middle with papers scattered around. At the far end of it, the largest chair was turned around, and Natasha could just make out the outline of a large figure sitting on it. The chair slid to face the group at the door, and the figure rose.

The most notable fact about him was the suit he was wearing. It was made of some weird black material that looked durable, but with veins of some type of metal flitting across. A large necklace stretched across his chest; lined with fangs and a large pendant hanging in the middle. An unusual mechanism covered each of his hands. Muscles rippled underneath his covered arms and chest, and he had a confident stance that oozed authority. His face however, was uncovered. His skin was chocolate, and his eyes radiated strength and wisdom; but were also lined with kindness. Natasha gazed at him and he looked at her. They evaluated each other for a few moments before the man spoke:

"Remove her handcuffs." His voice was deep and lined with a slight accent. One of the soldiers hesitated slightly, but brought out the key. The cuffs fell to the floor with a clang and Natasha stood there, a bit uncertain.

"Fix her shoulder." Natasha sent the man a sharp glance when one of the soldiers suddenly stepped forward, grabbed her left arm and raised it to a specific angle, and popped the shoulder back into place. She doubled over and let out a muffled scream, the sudden pain flashing hot and fast through her. Her breaths came harshly and she faintly registered the soldiers exiting the room, leaving just her and the man with the suit alone.

He waited for her to recover - not having moved from his spot by his chair. When Natasha finally regained her breath and looked up, he had a small smile on his face and slowly made his way over. She noticed that his movements were firm yet slow, as if not to startle her.

Stopping a couple of feet away from her, he gestured to a chair. "Please, sit."

Natasha wanted to refuse, but her head was pounding and she could barely breathe because of the condition her ribs were in. So she sat.

"I apologize for how you were treated. I asked for them to contain you, but they informed me you were being…difficult." He didn't waver under her gaze but continued. "I do not want war with the Avengers, nor do I think that you were trying to harm civilians when your team showed up. However, you did murder more than a dozen of my men."

Natasha didn't look away, but something flickered in her eyes. She said quietly, "They ambushed us."

"And yet they were the ones that bled to death on the ground and walls of their base."

"We weren't there to go against the local authorities! I would've killed them on the spot instead of following them if that were true. And I don't know if you know this, but they were _torturing_ my teammate. Now I'm not familiar with the way you guys run things, but I'm pretty sure you don't stand idly by when one of your men are screaming their head off."

He nodded and seemed to mull things over in his head. "So, tell me then, Ms. Romanoff, why are you actually here?"

The assassin didn't seem surprised he knew her name; basically everyone knew who the Avengers were after she dumped all those classified files on the internet and after the Battle of Sokovia.

"We received a tip-off that Hydra was going to make an appearance. Which they did."

The man crossed his arms and paced around the room. "Under normal circumstances, I would have killed you on the spot."

Natasha tensed.

He went on. "However, these are _not_ normal circumstances, so I will rethink my decision on what to do with you."

Silence filled the rooms for a couple of moments. "Do you have a name?"

"Pardon?"

"A _name_. Ever heard of it? It's what people call each other."

He smiled at her attitude. "My men call me T'Challa. But I am also known as the Black Panther."

Natasha paused; she had heard of activity in this area before, but never of someone called that.

T'Challa moved away suddenly and quietly spoke something into a concealed communication device. "So," he said as he turned back around again, "you say that you came here because of a Hydra threat? Did you ever consider why Hydra was here in the first place?"

She didn't say anything. He seemed unperturbed by her silence, and asked, "What do you know about Vibranium?"

"It's the strongest metal known to man."

"Correct, and I assume that you might have realized last year after your dealing with Ulysses Klaw that the Vibranium in your team member's shield is not the last of the material?"

Natasha narrowed her eyes but nodded. This Black Panther seemed to have a _lot_ of information pertaining to the Avengers. T'Challa shifted and a noise of what sounded like blades being drawn flitted suddenly from his hands. From the weird mechanisms on his hands that Natasha had noticed earlier, wickedly sharp and shining blades shaped like claws protruded over each of his fingers. She didn't flinch at the noise, but it alarmed her nonetheless. He turned the claws over and let her observe them.

"This, Natasha, is just a small amount of the Vibranium we currently possess." He saw a surprised expression flit across her face and then vanish. "I am telling you this because I do not wish for us to be enemies. You're not stupid. You know, or at least, you suspect that I'm capable of a lot of things. Things that might not settle too well with your friends. Hydra is a threat to many, and I will not tolerate them hurting my people and stealing from me." With a slight whir and the same sharp sound, the claws retreated.

Natasha shifted and winced slightly. "Why keep me here then?"

T'Challa's expression darkened. "I believe you forgot to mention one last reason why you came to Africa."

The door behind them suddenly opened and Natasha whipped around to see two soldiers enter dragging someone between them. They dropped the man to the floor, and a metal glint pierced Natasha's eyes. Kneeling on the ground in front of her with his face bloody and bruised, and long hair wallowing over his dark eyes, was the Winter Soldier.

 **Dun dun dun! Bucky Barnes is back in town :)**

 **So, I hope this proved to be an interesting chapter, and I just wanted to say that I don't really know too much about Black Panther's character, so I apologize if some of you don't like the way I portrayed him.**

 **Thanks for reviewing!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

" _ **The truth is a matter of circumstances, it's not all things to all people all the time. And neither am I."**_

No one spoke. The soldiers stood by with their weapons trained on Barnes, who was still watching the ground. A million thoughts were rushing through Natasha's head. Her heart was in her throat; memories were flashing across her eyes and she frantically tried to keep them from getting out of control. T'Challa cleared his throat.

"I believe you two know each other."

Barnes looked up and instantly locked on to Natasha's bright green ones. They held each other's gazes. He looked a lot different since she'd last seen him. He'd let his beard grow out a little more, giving him a scruffy face, and his eyes seemed lost…almost haunted. His body was more built; his arms were huge and Natasha could make out the muscles underneath his bloodied blue shirt. The sleeves of it were torn, showing the metallic coating of his bionic arm that was secured with countless restraints.

He wouldn't look away from Natasha, and she wished she could know what he was thinking, know whether or not he remem-

 _No_ , Natasha told herself. _You can't think about that now._ She forced herself to look away from his burning gaze back towards T'Challa, who crossed his arms and spoke up:

"You think me a fool? The Winter Soldier on the doorstep of my kingdom, and your team, led by _Captain America_ himself arrives only for the apparent threat of a Hydra attack. I've had him here for not two days and everything blows out of proportion. It's not smart to lie to a man like me Ms. Romanoff," he said, a dangerous edge to his voice. Natasha felt her body shift automatically on the chair into a defensive position.

"Our main objective was to figure out what exactly was going on here and diffuse the situation. I've told you that. This was-,"

"What?" T'Challa interrupted. "This was unrelated? Completely off the charts? No, I don't think so. I think that you came here looking for the Winter Soldier. It might not have been your top priority, but it was a big part. Why you withheld this from me, I do not fully understand. We could have left on good terms and - ,"

"Good terms? You think anything is on good terms these days? Oh, The Avengers saved Sokovia! Really? The only thing I heard was that a whole lot of people died because a bunch of idiots in costumes tried to help!" Natasha exclaimed, standing up so she was right in front of T'Challa. "Because every single _moment_ of our lives are tracked. Recorded and displayed to everyone who can find a fault. I myself don't give a shit about what anyone else thinks, but I care about my team. I care about the innocents who are going to die just because others can't get over the fact that when shit goes down, people get hurt. And sometimes there's nothing we can do to stop it!"

T'Challa stared at Natasha with a complicated expression and was about to speak when something caught his attention. Barnes had just shifted slightly on the floor. Natasha sent him a glance and said,

"Теперь!" _Now!_

Barnes instantly shot to his feet and shoved the soldier to the right of him so hard that he hit the wall and crumpled to the floor. The other soldier grabbed him from behind, but Barnes rammed his arm into his gut and, as he doubled over in pain, smashed his handcuffed hands onto the back of his neck. A split second later, the restraints were on the floor, literally ripped in half by the enhanced assassin. The door immediately opened and five more soldiers rushed inside.

While Barnes began to dispose of the soldiers, Natasha was engaged in a tense struggle with T'Challa. The man was extremely powerful, Natasha noticed, as she vaulted onto the table. The chair he'd thrown at her was now lying in splintered pieces on the other side of the room that. Natasha snatched up a tablet that was sitting by her foot and whipped it at T'Challa's neck; he merely stepped to the side and the piece of technology smashed into the head of a soldier who'd managed to put his arm around Barnes's neck. T'Challa hopped onto the table as well and slowly approached Natasha.

"Think about what you're doing Natasha. Do you really think you'll be able to leave this building alive?"

Natasha's body burned with exhaustion and pain – even that slight struggle had allowed for her wounds to stretch and sting, and she limped back a few steps. Drops of blood were falling on the table, staining the papers on it a dark red. She knew she wasn't going to last much longer in this condition.

"I'm not going to leave my friends to be damned T'Challa," she said scathingly. "And I sure as hell don't need your permission."

She ducked as he kicked at her head and instantly shoved her elbow into his gut. Or tried to. He grabbed her arm and was about to twist it when Natasha slammed her foot onto his kneecap; it buckled and she wrenched herself out of his grasp in a fluid motion. Over T'Challa's shoulder, she saw that three of the soldiers were groaning on the ground and the other two were scrambling around trying to avoid getting their faces bashed in by Barnes's foot. However, more were on the way.

Natasha stumbled slightly and shook her head in a futile attempt to clear the lightheadedness that was creeping up on her. Her exhaustion was wearing her down, and T'Challa immediately took advantage of her slip up and got her in a choke hold from behind. A little pressure, and she was wheezing, trying to breathe and stop the blackness that was creeping up from the cor - _BANG!_ Fresh air suddenly filled Natasha's lungs and she scrambled forward coughing – Barnes had snatched a gun off the body of a knocked out soldier and shot T'Challa's thigh; the bullet hadn't penetrated the armor but still applied enough force to make the giant man let go of Natasha for a moment.

The Black Widow whipped around and suddenly tackled T'Challa, knocking them both off the table. They landed roughly and Natasha managed to land a blow on his jaw before she found herself viciously pinned to the ground. She heard a whirring sound and saw the flash of his Vibranium claws extruding from his fingers – and instantly froze when he placed them right under her throat.

"I wouldn't move if I were you."

A second later, an ammo canister smashed into T'Challa's face, and he staggered. Natasha felt a sharp pinch on her left side, but ignored it and viciously kicked the disoriented man in the chest, sending him crashing down. An arm seized her by the back of her shirt and hauled her up, and Natasha turned to find Barnes dragging her away and out of the room.

T'Challa grunted and rose to his feet just as the door was closing – he stared into Natasha's conflicted green eyes for one final moment before they vanished behind the steel material. He sighed. Three of his men burst in from a door on the opposite side of the room – their movements frantic and panic plastered over their faces.

"Sir! They've descended to the first floor!"

"Shall we lockdown?"

"We've got to – "

They faltered when T'Challa raised his hand. Their leader wiped away a trickle of blood that was creeping along the edge of his right eye from the gash that had been spliced open by the impact of the ammunition box.

"Let them go," T'Challa ordered.

"But sir -,"

"I _said_ , let them go. Cease all alarms at once and keep the exits open. No deployment of troops is necessary."

They all stared at him uncertainly.

"Is there something with what I just said that you do not understand?" he roared. The soldiers flinched and shook their heads. "Then get on with it!" T'Challa turned away and strode over to a monitor as the men scrambled to get where they needed to be. Distracted, he retracted his claws, not noticing the fresh blood that coated them.

* * *

The two assassins stumbled out of the facility and blinked rapidly under the burning sun. The facility was huge; it was right outside a city that was bustling with activity. Natasha could hear car horns and people shouting as they sprinted through the mess of vehicles positioned outside the building and hopped the sliver chain link fence that secured the perimeter. The soldiers had stopped pursuing them by the time they got to the first floor, something that confused them both but they didn't bother slowing down to wonder.

They hurried down the road when Barnes suddenly veered off to the side and entered an abandoned alley between a couple of mashed buildings. Giant shadows loomed over them from the skyscrapers that lined the edge of the city – providing some relief from the sun's glare. Natasha collapsed against the wall and tried to slow down her rapid heartbeat as her mind reeled with the events that had just occurred in the last half hour. She had so many questions she didn't even know where to start.

"What are you doing here?"

Natasha looked up at Barnes, who seemed barely winded even after taking out almost a dozen men by himself. "Didn't you hear? We came to-,"

"Not your team," he interrupted. "You. How'd they get ahold of you?"

She hesitated for a second before responding. "I stayed behind." He narrowed his eyes and was about to open his mouth when he noticed Natasha swaying on her feet. Her face was worryingly pale and clammy, and her breaths were ragged, as if each one scraped a dagger painstakingly across her lungs. A concerned expression flitted across Barnes face, and he furrowed his brow.

"Are you alright?"

Natasha shut her eyes and nodded, trying to contain the bile that was rising in her throat. She felt something warm on her stomach and opened her eyes to see blood slowly blossoming across her top, staining the already crimson material an even darker red. Barnes moved forward and reached out a hand to steady her, but she stepped back before he could touch her - and that was the last thing she remembered before her vision went black.

 **Short chapter this time, but I promise the next one will have a lot more. Sorry it took so long, but I was at a block at how to right that last scene, and literally wrote at 2 in the morning. But anyways, I just wanted to take a moment and say thanks to everyone who has reviewed/followed/faved. You've really motivated me to write more, and I'm grateful for all that support :)**

 **Now I just have a question. I know a lot of people expect Barton to side with Natasha and ultimately Steve, but I have an idea that could have him support Tony. Tell me what you'd rather have, and I'll decide by the majority.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

" _ **I blew all my covers. I got to go figure out a new one."**_

" _ **That might take a while."**_

" _ **I'm counting on it."**_

 _Natalia sighed in pleasure as James kissed his way up her neck. They'd woken up tangled together in his bed, and now he was trying to stop her from leaving, holding her down with his metal arm._

 _"James," she groaned. "You know I can't stay."_

 _He flashed her a devilish grin that sent shivers down her spine. "That wasn't what you were saying last night." She narrowed her eyes at him._

 _"And now that I think about it, you actually weren't_ talking _all that -,"_

 _"If you want to keep both your hands, I'd suggest you didn't finish that statement."_

 _James shifted himself up and pinned her to the bed with his large, muscular frame._

 _"Is that a challenge?"_

 _She smirked. "More of a fact."_

 _The enhanced assassin felt a slight sting on his stomach and looked down to see a knife pressing gently against his abdomen. His eyes brightened with a fire that burned Natalia every time she saw them, and her emerald ones darkened in response._

 _"You know I taught you that move?" he said._

 _"Then maybe you should have seen it coming," she practically purred. In a flash, James snatched the knife and flung it over his shoulder; it embedded itself into the wall with a thud, and he pinned Natalia's arms above her head with his own. He could see her breathing rate quicken, and he lowered himself so he was less than an inch away from her face._

 _"I've still got a few more moves up my sleeve that maybe you'd like to see?"_

 _"Just shut up and kiss me already."_

 _"Yes, Ma'am."_

Natasha's eyes fluttered open and she frantically tried to control her breathing. The memories were chipping away at her brain, each one more painful than the last. Her bones ached with exhaustion, and when she lifted her hand to her face, she found a bandage covering a gash on her forehead. Confused, she sat up quickly but instantly regretted it. Pain slashed through her body hot and fast, and she barely kept in a groan. It took her a second to get a bearing of her surroundings.

She seemed to be in some kind of safe house. The lights were flickering, and the walls were rusty yet thick. The room she was in had a slight cramped feeling to it, almost like being in a large elevator, but the bed was big and someone had draped a blanket over her legs. Natasha shivered and realized that her shirt had been removed, and instead cotton white bandages covered her torso and arms. Gingerly, she peeled back the bandage on her side and saw three claw marks stretching from the bottom of her left ribcage to her waist. They'd been stitched closed, but dark purple bruising still lined the cuts, as well as her ribs. She threw back the blanket and inspected the gash she'd received on her leg by the shackles. It had been bandaged too, the sterile cloth covering most of her thigh.

A creak suddenly sounded, and Natasha looked up to see Barnes slowly entering the room, a bag in one hand and a glass in the other. He cleared his throat and approached the bed.

"I brought some water." He set the glass on the nightstand next to the bed and then dropped the bag next to her leg. "And I went shopping. Your shirt was basically scraps, so I brought a whole bunch. Sorry if some are a little loose."

Despite the situation, Natasha couldn't stop a small smile from creeping up on her face.

"What?" he asked.

Natasha shook her head, trying to get the image of the Winter Soldier shopping for women's clothes out of her head. "Nothing. Thanks."

He looked away while she glanced inside the bag, missing the amused expression on her face.

"How're you feeling?"

She glanced up at him. "Uh…better. Much better." She paused. "Thank you for stitching me up." An awkward silence filled the room. Barnes fidgeted and scratched his head.

"I should let you get cleaned up. Shower still works, so come to the kitchen when you're done. It's right down the hall." He exited the room, his feet silent on the boarded floors, and Natasha sighed.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Natasha limped down the hallway and found Barnes making grilled cheese sandwiches. The crisp smell that had wafted around the room made her realize that she was actually starving; the last meal she'd had was right after Peggy's funeral, which had been almost four days ago.

"Where exactly are we?" she asked.

Barnes turned around and took in her appearance. A dark blue shirt covered her injured torso, and she'd put on a loose pair of black pants. She'd managed to fix her hair and wash most of the blood out, but her eyes had a gaunt look to them, and she was holding herself in a way that seemed like a single puff of air would make her fall apart. He didn't mention it and merely said:

"Safe house. I got us out of Africa after you passed out. I have some there as well, but I figured you'd want to get back as soon as you could."

"Are we near the facility?"

"Border of New Jersey. Kept it a safe distance, just in case…,"

"Just in case what?"

He cleared his throat. "Well, I managed to scroll through the news while you were asleep, and honestly, I wouldn't want to be an Avenger right now."

"Not really much of a surprise," Natasha said, sliding into a stool at the kitchen counter and dragging a glass of orange juice towards herself. "Barely a day goes by where people don't talk shit about us."

Barnes gave a slight chuckle, which surprised Natasha. He flipped the sandwiches onto a couple of plates and slid one towards her. "I don't doubt that."

She picked up her sandwich and took a small bite. Barnes scrutinized her face, and she realized he was waiting for a reaction.

"It tastes great. Who would've thought the Winter Soldier knew how to cook?"

He sat down in front of her and picked up his own sandwich. "The wound on your back," he said suddenly. "Where's that from?"

"Knife. Got in a little fight with a bunch of soldiers back at the marketplace." Wanda's screams echoed in her head and Natasha forced herself to focus.

"It's a bit deep, so you'll have to change the bandages soon."

She took a sip from her glass. "Can I ask you a question?"

Barnes put down his sandwich and let out a deep breath; like he'd been dreading this was going to happen. Nevertheless, he looked her in the eyes and nodded.

Natasha shifted on her chair and said, "Why now? It's been two years, so why are you finally showing up after all this time?"

"I didn't exactly choose to show up. T'Challa's men captured me a little while after I arrived in Africa."

"And yet you're here."

"What do you mean?"

She leaned back and sighed. "You could've left me for dead back at their base. But instead, you brought me back and saved my life. Weird logic for someone who wants to be left alone."

"I take it you're happy you're still alive?" he mused.

"Stop deflecting," she snapped.

He rubbed his face. "Look, I'm not going to lie. The last two years have been utter hell, and I honestly did not want to see any of your faces ever again."

"Then why help me escape?" Natasha exploded. "Why save my life?"

"Because I remember you!"

She faltered.

"When I first saw him, Steve, I had no recollection whatsoever. He was simply another target to cross off my list." He screwed up his eyes and swallowed. "And yet, when you looked back at me, I don't know if I imagined it, but I saw this smirk fly across your face. It was fleeting – I would've missed it if I'd blinked. But something snapped in my head."

"Russian," she said quietly.

"What was that?"

Natasha stared at him. "I thought I misheard, but you spoke Russian to one of your men while I was running away."

 _она моя. She's mine._

 _найти его. Find him._

Barnes nodded. "After I failed to eliminate you guys, they took me back to the makeshift lab. I was…confused to say the least. When he called me 'Bucky' I didn't know what the hell he was talking about. But the name kept echoing in my hand, and I had these tiny flashbacks." He crossed his arms. "They re-conditioned me for not responding to them, and those cracks resealed until after the fight we had on the helicarrier."

Intrigued, Natasha leaned forward slightly. Although Steve had told them that Bucky was the one who shot him on the carrier, he avoided the details of the fight and what happened afterward that led to them finding him on the banks of the river, bleeding and injured, but alive.

"After he fell, I dragged him out of the water, and while I was looking down at him, there was this tiny voice in my head that told me to wait. To stay." A shadow crossed his eyes. "But I didn't. I left everything behind."

"So how did I come into all of this?" Natasha asked uncertainly.

"Well, after I left, I would have these…dreams. Every night, I'd see these blurry visions, where nothing really made sense, and the only thing I would feel was pain." A tortured expression formed on his face. "This excruciating pain that would make me feel like I was dying over and over again. But in the midst of all of that, there was one thing that stood out with sharp detail. A face," Barnes said, his voice small. His eyes shot up and pierced her emerald ones. "Your face."

Natasha looked away so he couldn't see the pain in her eyes. It felt like there was a knife stabbing at her heart, and after every word he spoke, the blade would dig a little deeper than before.

"I remember you Natalia."

* * *

The world seemed to stop around Natasha. She stared at Barnes's lips, as if her brain was still trying to comprehend what he said.

"You called me James," he said softly.

Natasha tried to control her breathing. "Please, don-,"

"We were obsessed with each other."

Natasha shot out of her chair and turned away, but he followed her.

"Why?" he asked. Natasha swallowed and forced herself to look at him.

"Why what?"

"Why would you ever love a man like me?"

"I-,"

"I hurt you. I hurt you so much and you've kept all that pain bottled up."

"You don't know that."

"Who then?" he exclaimed. "Who else knows that we had a history together?"

Natasha clenched her fists together.

"I remember everything Natalia. And you were the one good thing in all of it."

The red head suddenly turned around and shoved him back, and he tripped, falling backwards on the couch. A second later, she was basically sitting on his lap with her hands clenched around the collar of his shirt, shaking him. "You don't! You don't know half the shit happened!"

He saw an agonized expression flash across her face and said quietly, "Then help me remember." Natasha tried to get off of him but he wrapped his hands around her wrists and stopped her from moving. "Tell me what they did."

She was silent for a full minute, during which the only thing binding them to reality were their locked gazes. A shudder ran through her body, and she whispered, "They broke us."

 _Natalia was heading back to her quarters one night when a guard suddenly jogged over to her. He seemed out of breath, as if he'd sprinted all the way from the other side of the building._

" _Romanova, Petorovich wants you at the command room."_

 _Natalia narrowed her eyes at the rookie agent. "What for?"_

" _I do not know. They merely told me to fetch you. And for you to arrive as fast as possible."_

 _Although she knew it was weird for her to be called to Command that late, she nodded and started to make her way there. The guard followed, but he stayed a good distance away from The Black Widow. When she arrived, she opened the door and found three of her commanders there, including Petorovich. She bowed respectfully to each and asked after straightening, "Why was I summoned?"_

 _The door on the other side of the room was suddenly wrenched open, and two guards marched in, dragging a bloody and bruised James in between them. Natalia felt her heart stop as they dropped the beat man to the floor, but she didn't let it show on her face. Petorovich sauntered over to him and lifted up his face. His eyes looked broken, and conveyed one simple message to Natalia._ _ **Run.**_

" _Do you deny it?" Petorovich asked. He turned his head towards her, a twisted smile on her face. Her visage was one of a confused person, but the man laughed._

" _Don't act stupid. Did you really think we wouldn't find out?"_

" _Find out what, Sir?"_

 _He set his jaw and he made his way over to her, backing her up until she was right against the wall with only a few inches of space between them. Natalia could smell the disgusting fumes of cigars issuing from his foul mouth. "Oh my sweet Natalia. The Red Room is no place for love." Over his shoulder, Natalia saw several guards enter the room and restrain James to the ground. Shackles were pinned roughly to his wrists, most of them on his bionic arm._

 _Natalia tried to keep her expression controlled, but she was about to snap any second. "What are you going to do to him?"_

" _Oh we're not going to touch him….At least not yet. I'd be more worried about what I'm going to do to you." Two guards started to make their way over to her and she paled. Petorovich moved away to let them cuff her, but as soon as the first one came within arm's reach of the woman, she snapped her elbow into his throat. The guard fell with a strangled scream, clutching at his neck while the other moved instantly to restrain her. His fate was similar, yet more brutal, seeing as she placed her hands on the ground and viciously spun her legs to connect with his head. A sickening crack echoed around the room, and he fell to the ground just as Petorovich sent a bullet through her leg._

 _Natalia staggered, and it allowed for an opening for more guards to rush forward and slam her into the wall and pin her there._

" _Stop it!"_

 _Petorovich looked over at James as Natalia continued to resist the guards. The Soldier was struggling against his restraints, but to no avail. "Stop what?" His face twisted into a cruel smirk. "This?"_

 _Natalia cried out as one of the guards smashed his boot onto the wound in her thigh and twisted. A hail of fists and feet pounded her to the floor, where they shackled her hands together, and someone dislocated her shoulder. James looked on helplessly as they beat her, and his eyes filled with rage when he saw the glint of a knife flash in one of the guards' hands. They slashed open cuts all over her body – and an alarmingly large amount of blood began to pool on the floor._

" _Natalia!" He glanced pleadingly towards Petorovich. "Please, stop! I'll do anything! Just stop!"_

 _Natalia screamed; an agonizing scream that sent daggers through his chest, and he tried to rise from his knees when the guard behind him rammed his rifle onto his shoulder, forcing him back down again._

 _"Don't worry падла, you'll get your turn," the guard spat in his ear._

 _James tried to shut his eyes and block out the horrific sight, but Petorovich backhanded him and hissed, "No! You'll watch every second of this." Natalia was still screaming, and her screams only increased in volume when the guards began to break her bones, starting with her wrists. Her ribs were practically splintered, and it hurt to even take the smallest breath. She almost blacked out when one of the guards stomped on her thigh; her femur cracked and sent piercing pains all the way from her head to her feet. James saw an agonizing expression fly across her face and nausea filled the pit of his stomach. Please let them stop, James thought. Just let them stop. But that was only the beginning of the torture that they would endure._

"They made you watch the whole thing."

Natasha, whose hands were still clenched around Barnes's shirt, observed the expression on his face. Even talking about the ordeal reminded her of the terrifying pain they had inflicted on her, and she could tell he was extremely disturbed as well.

"What happened afterwards?" he croaked.

Natasha took a deep breath. "They dragged us to this lab…and a large black chair was in the middle. They…they shoved you onto it and locked you in place, and brought out the doctors to do some tests. I was barely conscious," she whispered, "but they made me look. A contraption fit around you head, and when they activated it, you started screaming. You screamed for _so_ long, I honestly thought they were killing you."

James shifted underneath her. "They were wiping me, weren't they?"

She nodded and said shakily, "They made you forget. And then they shoved you into a metal container that had icicles hanging off of it, just tossed you in there and activated it. I saw your eyes before the frost covered the window." Natasha slowly raised her hand and placed it on his cheek. He stilled at her touch, but then slowly relaxed.

"What was wrong with my eyes?" he asked.

"…They were unrecognizable."

James dragged his gaze to hers. "And what are they now Natalia?"

She stared into his darkened blue orbs. "That, James, is still a question to be answered."

 **Assassins reunited! Hehehe :) This chapter was kind of difficult to put together, and I'm sorry it took so long. But I wrote it back to back with Chapter 12, so expect that one a lot sooner! Anyways, as always, a special shoutout to everyone who's reviewed, favorited, or followed this story. You all are the best, and I hope this chapter satisfies you.**

 **Okay as a sidenote, I wanted to say that although I have a rough plan of how this story is gonna go, I'm still open to any ideas any of you have. If you think of something that you think would fit really well in the story, like ships or new characters, let me know, and I'd be happy to add them on later in the story.**

 **-avocadosatlaw**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

 _ **"No matter who wins or loses, trouble always comes around."**_

Wanda strode into her room, slamming the door furiously on the agents who were assigned with keeping an eye on her. Night was creeping up outside, and she'd heard nothing from Sharon since the ex-agent had left eight hours ago. She snatched her laptop off the couch and instantly booted it up, stopping abruptly when the desktop picture flickered to life. It was her and Natasha together, heads touching and large smiles plastered over their faces. Wanda's eyes lingered on Natasha; it was one of those moments where she really got to see the assassin as who she really was. Not an Avenger, an Agent, or SO. Just Natasha. It was right after Wanda had broken her wrist during a mission, and Natasha had showed up to her room that night while the boys were getting debriefed. They stayed up late watching random movies and chatting, and when Steve sent Sam up to her room the next morning to check why they hadn't come downstairs, the Avenger arrived to find them passed out on the couch, snacks littered on the ground and the television still on. Sam left them alone, but that didn't stop him from snapping a picture of the scene to blackmail Natasha with. It wasn't really much of a surprise when Sam woke up the next day with his phone in the toilet.

A smile covered Wanda's face as the memories flashed by, but she became increasingly frustrated as she scanned through various news reports; most of which contained headlines like: **Avengers Cause Mayhem in Africa…Again, Destruction Follows the Avengers,** as well as, **Will the Avengers Ever Learn?** All of them talked about the horrible things that the Avengers did, as well as mutterings of whether they should even exist.

Wanda felt anger building up inside of her like fire. It burned her and left the taste of ashes in her mouth, and the scary thing was, she couldn't make the feeling go away. It had been there ever since they'd left Africa, and now it was eating away at her. Feeling like a bomb seconds away from blowing, she slammed the computer shut and was about to just collapse on her bed when she heard a faint knock at her door. She stayed silent and wished whoever was there would just _go_ away, but to her dismay, another knock followed. Sighing, she walked to the door and wrenched it open, ready to yell at whoever was on the other side when she suddenly stopped short. Standing there, in the midst of a pile of knocked out agents, was The Vision.

He gave her a small smile and noticed her staring at the limp bodies.

"They wouldn't allow me to pass through."

Wanda's eyes wandered back to his still smiling face and he asked, "May I enter Wanda?" She gave tiny nod and he followed her to her room, his golden cape floating behind him. Scratching the back of her head, she flopped down on her bed as he stood by the doorframe.

"What's up?"

The Vision contemplated her demeanor with a somber expression on his face, his blue mechanical eyes melting from their usual sharp structure into a softer appearance.

"You're angry."

Wanda didn't say anything but he saw her eyes harden.

"Wanda," he said, "I know this a difficult time, but -,"

"But what?" she interrupted. "I'm just supposed to go along with it? Roll over and frown because I made a mistake?"

"Let me help you."

"I don't need your help!" It would've sounded more convincing if her voice hadn't cracked at the end, and The Vision could tell that she realized that as well. He slowly approached her and sat down on her bed next to her.

"There's something else bothering you Wanda." His voice was soft and soothing, and Wanda felt a lump rise in her throat. She clenched her hands and tried to control her breathing.

"Wanda…," he started, and that's when she lost it. Tears started streaming down her face, and in an instant, she was wrapped up in Vision's arms. She buried her face into his shoulder while he tightened his grip on her, and he rubbed his hand soothingly up and down her back.

"I've got you," he whispered. "I've got you."

He let her stay there, not moving an inch. After a while, when Wanda was able to quiet down, she slowly removed herself out of his comfortable grasp. He watched her closely as she rubbed at her eyes.

"You know you can always talk to me right?"

She chuckled as she nodded, and The Vision loved the way her eyes would brighten whenever she looked at him, and he felt that elated feeling that usually overcame him whenever he was able to make her laugh. It was odd, really. He was an android; something created to just _do_ things. Get the job done and make pure factual decisions. When he'd first been 'born' he'd never thought he'd actually have been able to make a connection to these people, to his team. And yet, they'd accepted him, laughed at his cunning remarks, and praised him on his skills.

All this ran through Vision's mind as he watched Wanda, and something suddenly dawned on him.

"It's Natasha isn't it?" he asked

Wanda's smile faltered. "You know I want to find her."

"It's not just that. You're feeling guilty. You're not angry at everyone else – no that's just a part of it. You're angry at yourself. For thinking that you left her behind."

"I _did_ leave her behind Vision."

"She made her decision. What would have happened to you, not to mention Sam, if you had stayed?" he insisted.

"You don't know the whole story. The only reason we couldn't get out ourselves was because Natasha was basically on the brink of bleeding to death." Wanda swallowed. "She killed _everyone_ in that room. Just because they hurt me."

He paused before saying anything. "Natasha's a complicated person Wanda. But from my experiences with her, I've realized that she always does something for a reason. When she makes a decision – its set in stone, and nobody's going to stop her from doing it. Honestly, she can sometimes be more stubborn than Tony. And you know what he's like."

Wanda stared at him intently and opened her mouth to speak when suddenly her phone beeped. She fished it out of her pocket and narrowed her eyes at the screen.

"Sharon's back."

"Sharon?" Vision asked. "Where'd she even go?"

Wanda scrolled through the message and Vision saw her pale.

"Wanda. What did you do?"

"I- uh- I might have told Sharon to go tell Barton about Natasha. And apparently…he came back with her."

An expression of disbelief covered his face and Wanda exclaimed defensively, "He deserved to know! You can't seriously think that I wouldn't tell him."

He sighed but nodded. "We should get down there. Barton's probably going to be pissed."

They hurried to the door, but right before The Vision could open it, Wanda put her hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you," she said. "For being here."

He grinned at her, and together, they hopped over the stirring agents and rushed downstairs before Barton could make the Hulk look tame.

* * *

Wanda was jogging down the hallway when she suddenly saw a flash of familiar blonde hair in the midst of black and blue uniforms.

"Sharon!" she called. "Hey, Sharon!" The woman turned around and sighed in relief.

"Oh thank God. I lost sight of Barton when an agent told us that Steve and Sam were in the gym, we should get there soon." Sharon nodded at The Vision and the group of three rushed as fast as they could, skipping the elevator and sprinting down the stairs leading to the training floor. Less than a minute later, the large gym doors finally appeared in their sight, and they came just in time to see them slam close after a familiar individual passed through.

Sharon shoved the doors open and they stumbled after the enraged archer.

"Barton wait!"

Clint didn't even look back but instead, made a beeline towards Steve and Sam, who were at the far end of the large room. The two Avengers glanced over at the group of people heading towards them both and raised their eyebrows.

"Hey Clint." Steve began. "I thought you were -," he was cut off short when Clint rammed his fist into the super soldier's jaw, knocking him to the floor by the force of the blow. A second later, the archer found himself pinned to the floor by Sam.

"Calm down man!"

Clint viciously shoved Sam off of him and stumbled back to his feet just as Sharon, Wanda, and The Vision reached them. Steve, rubbing his now bruised jaw, had an expression of understanding on his face.

"How could you leave her huh?" Clint shouted. "How could you throw her in the dirt just to save your own asses?"

"No one left her Clint."

Clint stared incredulously at Sam. "Oh, then I suppose she stayed behind to have a picnic did she? A cup of tea with Hydra?"

Wanda placed a hand on his chest and pushed him back slightly. "Clint," she began. "Natasha let herself get captured so Sam and I could escape. We wouldn't be standing here if it weren't for her."

"Still-,"

"Clint," Wanda repeated, this time more forcefully. "Stop being such a hothead. You think Natasha would expect this kind of behavior from you?"

Clint snarled and brushed her hand off his chest.

"We instigated a preliminary search Agent Barton. Knowledge of her location was not obtained, but I am certain Natasha is alive," The Vision said in his sharp and to the point way of speaking. Clint's eyes whipped to the purple android and narrowed, but the archer finally seemed to calm down a bit.

Steve stepped forward and said cautiously, "For what it's worth man, I am sorry. You know I care for Natasha, and I would never intentionally let her be injured."

Clint sighed but nodded. "Thank you for saying that. But if she isn't found soon, I don't care if Stark doesn't want it, I'm going after her. And you all better not get in my way."

Wanda saw Sharon's brow lift in concern, and the two women shared a look. Clint trudged off towards the exit, and Steve followed him.

"You know," Wanda began. "When I told you to tell him about Natasha, I didn't mean let him loose like a dog without a leash."

Sharon rolled her eyes. "Oh shut up. As if you could've done any better." Wanda smiled, but there was a sad tinge to it.

"At least if everything does go to hell, we know Clint's still going to try and find her."

"I hope he doesn't."

Wanda looked confused. "Why not?"

"Hey, you know I want to find Natasha as much as yourself, it's just that his family needs to come first." They both began to leave the gym as well, walking shoulder to shoulder. The ex-agent continued. "He needs to keep a close eye on them. When people want to make a point, they'll do basically anything to do it. And I don't want him finding that out to late."

"Well, if there's anyone who can get by on their own," Wanda sighed. "It's Natasha."

They passed by a harried group of agents headed to Communications, and fell silent for a minute. The night was dark; the grounds eerie and sinister. Wanda glanced at her reflection on the large glass window and grimaced slightly. She looked like a zombie that'd been run over by a truck and then slapped around for hours. Sharon observed her expression and asked, "You wanna get a bite to eat? You seem really worn out right now."

"I wish you'd asked me that five hours ago."

* * *

Wanda and Sharon entered the dining room and rummaged through the fridge. Pizza had been delivered earlier that day, so they just warmed it up and got out a couple of beers, settling into a comfortable silence while they ate. After a while, Sharon put down her plate and cleared her throat.

"Sam told me about what Stark said this morning."

Wanda's mind zoomed back to the disastrous talk the team had had hours before. "Stark said a lot of things," Wanda stated simply, but Sharon could tell she was a bit hesitant on approaching the topic.

"Look," Sharon sighed, "I know it's been a long day, but-,"

"You want to know if she ever told me, don't you?" Wanda asked.

"It's alright if you don't want to talk about it."

"No, it's completely fine." Wanda took a deep breath. "The truth is, Natasha never actually told me that she…had a relationship with Barnes. Of course, after I became an Avenger, she filled me in on about what happened in Washington two years ago – The Winter Soldier and Fury and whatnot." She paused. "You know that we didn't really become good friends until a good while later right?"

Sharon nodded and Wanda continued. "Natasha never talked too much about her past. Little tidbits here and there about her training, but never the details. But I know she relives it all every night." She gazed out the window for a moment, as if contemplating on what to say. "A couple of months ago, Steve wanted us to do a night practice outside – a team thing. To help us prepare for various scenarios we could possibly end up in. It was set to start at midnight, so he told us all to get a couple hours of rest so we'd be more aware of what was going on." Wanda took a sip from her bottle. "Ten minutes before we were about to go outside, Natasha still hadn't come downstairs, and Steve sent me up to check on her. Natasha was usually never late, but everyone has those days, so I thought she was probably just tired.

"When I got to her room, I knocked on the door and called her name. She didn't answer, so I knocked again, but still, I wouldn't get a response. I thought maybe she'd left her room before or something, so to check, I used my powers to…do a sort of scan. See if she was there. As I was doing it, I connected with her mind for a second." Wanda saw Sharon's eyebrows rise and said, "Yeah, I know it sounds weird. But anyways, I felt this sudden piercing pain behind my forehead. And I saw these flashes…almost like memories. But they weren't mine." She exhaled a shaky breath. "They were hers."

"What did you see?" Sharon asked quietly.

"Everything was a blur, but there were somethings that stood out. And it was horrifying. I saw a room where the walls were literally just blood dripping down, and flashes of silver – metal and a bright red star. Obviously, I was alarmed, so I immediately unlocked the door with my powers, and I rushed inside to find her all the way in the corner of the room, knees clenched together and holding her head with both her hands. And she kept whispering something over and over." Wanda noticed Sharon staring at her with an expression of utmost concern. "'Let him go, just let him go'." The Avenger rubbed her face in exhaustion and added, "Now I didn't know who she was talking about then, but I suspected that there was someone important in her past that she'd lost. I think for once, Stark might actually be right about what he said."

Sharon sat back into the cushions and stared out the window. "So what happened after?" she inquired. "When you found her like that?"

"I messaged Sam to start training without us." Wanda didn't elaborate, and Sharon left it at that.

"It's weird, Natasha not being here."

Wanda placed her empty beer bottle onto the table and sighed, "It really is."

"You know what's funny though?" Sharon grinned. Wanda sent her a questioning look, and Sharon's eyes brightened. "The thought of what Natasha would've done to Tony if he dared to say that while she was actually here."

A smile lit Wanda's face. "We probably would already have been arranging his funeral."

"Did someone say something about a funeral?"

Wanda and Sharon's smiles only grew wider when Tony sauntered inside the dining room, heading to the bar area and pouring himself a nice scotch. He made a face at the drink after taking a sip. "Cannot even compare to mine," he muttered, and looked up at the two women on the couch. "So, who's funeral huh?"

Sharon glanced at Wanda and cleared her throat pointedly, and the two barely suppressed their laughter. Someone else jogged into the room – Rhodey. He nodded at Sharon and Wanda and turned to Tony with an exasperated expression on his face. "Tony, what the hell are you doing here? You're supposed to be meeting with Hill in less than ten minutes."

"I wanted a drink."

"Sure, why don't you just go the nearest bar and get drunk so you'll have to deal with all this shit with a gigantic hangover."

The billionaire shrugged and downed the rest of his scotch. "Sounds like a pretty good idea to me." He winked at Sharon. "You wanna join me blondie?"

Sharon literally choked on her beer and Wanda thumped her back. "Holy shit," Sharon gasped. "Did he seriously just ask me that?" Tony looked highly offended and opened his mouth when Rhodey suddenly grabbed his arm and began to yank him out the room.

"Excuse us ladies."

Wanda raised her hand and gave a little wave at the two men. Tony threw them a dirty glance before Rhodey shoved him out of their sight, and they burst into laughter. The elevator dinged open and Steve entered, dragging a grumpy Clint into the room. "Hey guys," he greeted, and he grabbed a couple of drinks from the bar as well.

Sharon's eyes roamed over the prominent muscles that bulged from underneath his tight purple shirt. She leaned over and whispered to Wanda, "Now there's someone who I _would_ actually go to a bar with."

"Remind me of this moment in five years when your kids are running around headquarters."

Sharon shoved her into the side of the couch. "You took that too far."

Steve raised his hand in a farewell as he walked back to the elevator with Clint, drinks in hand. Wanda rolled her eyes at Sharon. "You know," she mused, "you might want to tone down the obvious staring."

The ex-agent made a sound of disbelief. "I was not _staring._ "

Wanda gave a seemingly insignificant cough, and Sharon narrowed her eyes. "Okay, but even you can't deny that he's got a nice ass."

"I cannot wait to tell him you said that."

Sharon looked mortified. "You wouldn't _dare._ "

 **Here it is! A last taste of humor before things get darker :)**

 **Hope you liked it and please, leave a review telling me how I did. I'm always open to new inspirations!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

 _" **Can you wipe out that much red?** **"**_

 _She stared into his darkened blue orbs. "That, James, is still a question to be answered."_

They both gazed at each other intently for a minute until a loud _pop_ startled them. Barnes shook his head slightly, as if pulling himself from a daze, and Natasha immediately cleared her throat and lifted herself off of his lap.

"That'll be the toast."

Natasha scratched her head and muttered, "Right."

She watched him as he moved past the kitchen counter, and her eyes wandered to the rest of the room. It took her a few seconds, but it suddenly clicked that there were no windows in the whole room. Even in the bedroom, there was nothing but steel walls. The whole place was lit by those flickering lights.

"Are we underground?"

Barnes dusted bread crumbs off his shirt and nodded. "Most of my safe houses are." He noticed her worried expression. "What's wrong?"

"What time is it? How long's it been since you got us out of Africa?"

"Well," he mused as he grabbed a container out of a cabinet, "the ride here took almost nine hours, and it took a while for you to get up, so it's been two days since you arrived in Africa. And its midnight right now….I think." He checked his watch. "Yeah, just a little after twelve."

He could literally see the gears turning in her head and instantly shot forward and blocked her way to the bedroom. "What do you think you're doing?"

She grit her teeth in frustration. "I have to leave."

"And do what? Go back to the facility?"

"They're waiting for me."

"Waiting or dreading?"

Natasha narrowed her eyes at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means," he sighed, "that maybe you should lay low for a bit. There's a hearing tomorrow with Stark and…Rogers, and something big is going to happen."

"Something big that I need to be present for," she insisted, trying to shove past him.

Barnes didn't move an inch but dropped his head. "You know there's been no official search for you right?"

"Good," she deadpanned. "It would've been stupid if it had happened."

Every time she spoke, it seemed like Barnes was getting more and more fed up. "Just look at yourself! You're injured so badly you shouldn't even be up right now."

"I'll manage," she hissed, a dangerous undertone lining her words. "I've done it before."

"Natalia…," he began.

"Don't call me that!" she erupted. "You know, it seems like _you're_ the one who just doesn't want to go. Don't hide it. I know you don't want to see Steve yet."

Barnes hesitated, and Natasha used that as an opportunity to finally shove past him. She didn't see the hardness in his face, or how tight he clenched his fists together. He spun around and crossed the hallway after her, leaning on the doorway as she shoved her ruined clothes into a bag and grabbed her boots.

"You going to walk all the way there?" he asked. She looked up at him and he opened his hand. A key dangled from his hand, glinting. Natasha threw down the boot she'd been trying to put on her foot and she opened her mouth to speak when she began to blink rapidly and took a step back. The smile on Barnes's face slid off and he approached her carefully.

"…What was that?"

Natasha shut her eyes and then forced them open again. "What was what?"

He wasn't amused, and Natasha groaned. "I'm fine! Okay? Now can we just-," she stopped suddenly and winced, driving her protest to the ground in an instant.

Barnes took a deep breath. "Look, just wait half a day. See what happens. I swear I won't stop you from going."

Natasha pursed her lips and slumped down on the bed. "Fine," she spit out. She didn't move away, but he noticed her stiffen slightly when he sat down next to her. They were silent. Two assassins with horrible pasts sitting on the same bed, in the same room, the same safe house; just quiet.

After a while, Natasha finally glanced at him and whispered, "I shouldn't have said that." He raised his eyes and Natasha didn't see The Winter Soldier in his intense look. She didn't even see Bucky Barnes. She saw James. Her James. The one who cared about her, the one who made her laugh and smile and moan. She saw that man, not completely, but the part of him that was still fighting; still struggling to come back.

She cleared her throat and continued. "That snap about Steve. It was uncalled for, and I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it." His brow furrowed when she fidgeted uncomfortably next to him.

"It's just my ribs," she explained.

"Can I see the bandages? I only was able to put one dressing."

She hesitated, but she carefully inched up her shirt, and although he'd seen her wounds up close before, it didn't make looking at them again any easier. The skin above her ribs was cracked and dark purple, and swelling was clearly prominent around the bandages.

"How bad does it hurt?" he asked. She didn't answer immediately. "On a scale of one to ten?"

Natasha clenched her teeth tightly when his fingers brushed over her bandages. "Six," she muttered. He sent her an exasperated look and she looked away. "Maybe more," she forced out. Barnes opened his mouth and suddenly stilled, prodding Natasha to send him a concerned glance. She tracked his eyes and found that he was staring intently at a spot on her stomach…her scar from Odessa.

"…Barnes." The name sounded wrong on her lips, but she had to try and get his attention.

He didn't answer, and she was shocked by the look of sheer horror on his face.

"I did that, didn't I?"

"It wasn't your fault."

He didn't seem to hear her and stammered, "I-I pulled the trigger. I blew your tires out. I-I,"

"Barnes," Natasha repeated firmly, "look at me. Look. At. Me."

He dragged his eyes back up to hers, and Natasha could see the memories flash across his eyes. This wasn't good. She knew how destructive she could be during flashbacks, seeing as she almost killed Clint during one, and she didn't want to find out how an unstable, almost hundred years old assassin would react.

"Hey, you didn't know what you were doing. They programmed you."

He began to slowly back away from her, and she could tell he was on the brink of losing control. His breathing rate had spiked; chest heaving, and he couldn't even say anything. Natasha took his face in her hands and, after forcing back the memories of doing the same thing years and years ago, said quietly, "James. It wasn't your fault. I'm alive right now right?" His eyes started to lose focus again and Natasha grabbed his hand and raised it so it was right over her fast beating heart. "Because of you, I'm alive."

He seemed to calm down slightly, his gaze locked on the hand that held his, and her voice kept resonating in his head. James. James. _James._ Vaguely, he heard her asking him something. His eyes drifted to her lips and tried to make out the words:

"James, answer me. Who brought me here? Who patched me up when I was on the verge of dying?"

It took him a while to form a response. "I did?"

Natasha breathed a sigh of relief and nodded. "Yes. You did. And would you have done that if you wanted me dead?"

His voice was like a whisper in the dark. "No, but-,"

"But nothing." she cut in. "It doesn't matter what you did before. What matters is that you've changed."

"Please forgive me."

"James, you-,"

"Please," he begged. "I-I just need to hear you say it."

A small smile grew on her face, tinged with the sadness of old memories, and Natasha said quietly, "I forgive you James."

His eyes suddenly cleared, and his body and demeanor seemed to shift. When Natasha looked at his face, he finally seemed back to normal, and she fell back on the bed in relief.

"Oh thank god," she sighed, "I thought for a second I was going to have a crazy assassin on my hands."

"Thank you."

"It's no problem."

"Still," he swallowed, "I've hurt you so much. Why would you even bother?"

Natasha stared at the ceiling; the lights dancing in her eyes. "Because I know the value of giving someone a second chance."

She propped herself up on an elbow and found him staring at her with the most intense look anyone had ever given her. She was glad he was okay, but there was a voice in the back of her head that told her how dangerous he actually was. She had no idea how deep Hydra's programming had drilled into him, and if seeing an old scar could almost send him over the edge, she didn't want to know what would happen to him if he saw or did something a great deal more serious than that. A thought suddenly flashed through her head, and she shot up on the bed.

"What?" Barnes asked. "What's wrong?"

Millions of things rattled through her mind, and Natasha scrambled off the piece of furniture and grabbed the boot she'd thrown away in frustration earlier.

"We have to go."

"Look, I told you-,"

"Not to the facility!" Natasha's fingers rapidly tied the laces on the boot, and she quickly snatched the other and began to pull that one on too. "There's someone I need to talk to. It's about Hydra."

"But,"

Natasha stopped rushing for a moment and stood in front of him. "Just trust me okay?" She held out her palm and he dropped his head. A crinkle of keys followed, and he placed them in her head. She flashed him a wide grin and nudged his arm.

"Get up. We're going."

"If you crash my car woman…," he muttered threateningly.

"You'll just get another one," she quipped.

He uttered a string of curses in Russian under his breath, and she shot him a look as he led her to the entrance. "You're not the only one with enhanced hearing, you know that right?"

They climbed the metal stairs and Barnes fished out another key from his pocket and inserted it into the rusty door at the top; it clicked open and they proceeded to the garage. Natasha heard him whisper something else under his breath, and she smacked his head. He sent her a death glare, and she sauntered over to driver's side of the black sedan, each step with its own sassy effect. Barnes clicked a button on his cell phone, opening the garage door, and Natasha pulled the car out into the night, changing into drive and turning away from the concealed safe house.

* * *

"You really like to keep everything black don't you?" Natasha noticed as they cruised down the darkened streets.

"What's wrong with black?"

Natasha almost burst out laughing at the slightly hurt look on his face. "I didn't say anything was wrong with it," she reassured. "Just an observation."

He scoffed. "Sure."

Natasha sneaked a glance at him out of the corner of her eye. Immersed in his phone, he didn't notice. He'd put on a cap, black obviously, before they'd left, and he looked better than he did during his little panic attack.

"Call me James," he said suddenly.

Natasha furrowed her brow, and he added, "It…it helps."

"Alright then," she smiled. After a moment, she said softly, "You can call me Natalia-I didn't really mean it when I yelled at you back there." She saw him nod in understanding.

It was silent, and he cleared his throat to clear the slight tension in the car. "Are you going to tell me where we're going?"

"Well," she began, "I need to get some information on Hydra."

"Don't you have enough from Africa?"

"T'Challa said that Hydra was there for the Vibranium, and that's not something to deal with lightly. I want to know if they have any in their possession, and," she continued, merging onto a highway, "how they've managed to regroup with such a large force in just one year."

"Rumlow."

"Besides the fact that that guy should be dead, they're developing a lot more reinforced armors and weapons around the world. And he's their leader, or, at least one of them."

"I'm gonna kill him," James muttered.

Natasha sent him a glance and said, "You might have to beat Steve to it though."

James seemed to tense at Steve's name, but he relaxed after a moment.

"So how exactly are you going to get this information?"

"…I know a place. But promise me one thing."

"What?"

"Behave."

He looked affronted. "And what exactly do you mean by that?"

Natasha switched lanes and replied, "I mean, don't rip anyone's head off. We're looking for information, and that's it."

"Now I'm getting worried…,"

"Just stick next to me alright? Keep away from everyone." She ran a hand through her hair. "You know what? Just don't say anything." Her eyes flicked to his bionic limb. "And make sure you keep that arm hidden."

"Yes Ma'am," he murmured sarcastically. She narrowed her eyes at him.

They drove on for half an hour, and Natasha finally slipped off the highway and into a rundown town that looked like it had gone through an apocalypse. Or several.

" _This_ is where your contact is? Pretty shady."

"So am I."

He didn't comment on that and asked instead, "You need a gun or knife? I know they took all your equipment."

Natasha reached into her jeans pocket and withdrew a wicked sharp knife. "I'm good."

The blade looked awfully familiar, and James casually checked his thigh sheath and banged his head back on the seat. "You took that from me didn't you?"

She smirked. "And the mini gun."

An exasperated sigh escaped from his lips, and she finally stopped on the side of the road. James glanced outside with a concerned expression; the only light on the street came from a flickering lamp post outside of a shop that had its windows and doors smashed to pieces. "You sure we're in the right place?"

Natasha didn't answer, and he realized she'd already gotten out of the car. Scrambling after her, he matched her pace, the two of them casting eerie shadows over walls and the cracked sidewalk.

"We're walking the rest of the way."

"Do I want to know why?"

She thought about it for a moment. "Probably not."

They walked side by side through the streets, avoiding the illuminated spots. Not that it was hard - the place was basically pitch black. James kept glancing over his shoulder, and it got so annoying to the point that Natasha slipped her knife out and said that he was more likely to be attacked by her than some random thug following them. He stopped after that.

They probably walked half a mile, the last of which James would just not stop asking, "Are we there yet?" and Natasha had to threaten him again to make him shut up. Natasha finally stopped right outside an old timey bar, and after checking to make sure the coast was clear, she knocked on the front door in a very specific pattern. James dug his gloved hands into his pockets and heard several mechanical beeps before the door swung open, letting them through.

"Remember," Natasha muttered as they entered, "don't say a word." As soon as they crossed the threshold, a blast of music met them, as well as a significantly large crowd of people, most of which looked like they could eat your bones for breakfast. James kept his eyes down and followed Natasha's confident stride through the place, avoiding bumping into anyone. The Black Widow was here to do business tonight.

Natasha went straight to the bar and sat down on a rickety wooden stool, blocking out the blaring music and keeping a stoic expression on her face. James sat down next to her, cap pulled low, and had to keep himself from flinching when a man suddenly appeared in front of them and boomed,

"Well! Isn't it one of my favorite customers! How do you do, Nina dear?"

"Always a pleasure to see you Viktor."

The man laughed. He was a slightly overweight guy, probably middle aged, with a hint of a Russian accent in his words. "I see you've brought a friend. Who is this man?"

"He's just an acquaintance," Natasha shrugged. She leaned forward and whispered something in Viktor's ear. The man nodded in understanding, and pulled out a bottle of vodka from underneath the table.

"The usual, I take it?"

"Not tonight Viktor. I'm here for business. Can we speak in private?"

He seemed to pale, but nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, yes! Of course! Right this way."

James made to stand, but Natasha put a hand on his shoulder and leaned down to whisper, "You'll have to stay here. They don't allow newcomers in the back." She noticed his tense expression and lightly punched him. "Just stay out of a commotion." He watched her go, and noticed large guy standing farther down the bar roam his eyes down her body, not bothering to even try to tone down the obvious staring. James clenched his fists tightly in his jacket pockets, but took a deep breath and looked away. To make matters worse, the same guy came over and sat down in the recently vacated seat next to him.

James ignored him and stared at the counter of the bar. The man reeked of alcohol, and ordered another round of something that looked like vodka and whiskey mixed together. He downed a glass of it and turned to the disguised assassin next to him.

"Ya new here?"

James didn't say anything, but he did reach across to grab the bottle of vodka that Viktor had taken out, pouring himself a shot and downing it in a second.

"Did ya see that woman next to ya?" the man slurred. "What I'd give to force her down on my bed."

Gritting his teeth, James poured himself another shot, throwing that down as well.

Five minutes later, the asshole was still going on about Natasha. "…make her scream ya know? Grab that ass and-, hey, where ya going?" James had wrenched himself from the stool and was about to make his way farther down the bar when he felt a meaty hand wrap around his arm. A moment later, the man was knocked out cold by a vicious blow to the face. The club went quiet immediately and everyone stopped what they were doing to stare at James, who was still holding the shattered remains of the vodka bottle in his hand. Five guys suddenly surrounded him, and a moment later, he was fending them all off at once. Snatching up a stool, he smacked it down on one of the men and whipped the broken legs at another. One of the guys pulled back his arm to punch him, and in doing so, accidentally elbowed another guy right behind him. After a string of curses, the elbowed guy shoved the man who hit him into the wall and soon enough, the whole place was engaged in an all-out bar fight.

People clambered over the bar and started throwing bottles into the crowd, and all the stools were destroyed in moments, as well as most of the tables lining the room. James snapped his elbow into the face of one guy, and broke the arms of several more who tried to take him by surprise. The noise was deafening; the music combined with everyone shouting and cursing on the top of their lungs, trying to beat each other up in minimum light. Plastering himself to the wall, James began to inch away when someone suddenly snatched him into the hallway next to the main bar area. The fist he launched at his attacker was easily caught, and he found himself pinned against the wall, someone holding his right arm in a way that if he even moved a little bit, it would snap.

"What the hell did you do you _bastard?!_ "

Natasha. She grabbed him by the back of his neck and viciously shoved him through the crowd and towards the back door. A guy tried to grab her as they passed and she slammed her boot straight into his soft spot. Seconds later, they were both outside, and Natasha waited until they were a considerable distance from the bar before she roughly pushed him against the wall of an abandoned school, underneath the only flickering light on the whole street.

"You better have an explanation worth the Nobel Prize or else I'm gonna kick your ass _so_ hard you'll wish you had left me in Africa," she snapped. James analyzed her face and knew she was pissed beyond _measure_ , and he swallowed uncertainly. "Well?" she demanded. "Are you going to tell me or not?"

He didn't say anything, and Natasha exploded, "I told you to stay put! How hard is that? To just sit down and do literally _nothing_?!"

James hung his head and Natasha was about to go on when she suddenly noticed how he flinched when she finished her sentence, and the fact that his body was clenched up in a certain way…like he was bracing himself for punishment. The anger drained out of her all of a sudden, and she backed away from him. He wouldn't look at her, and Natasha felt guilt suffocate her.

"He was talking about you," James said.

"Who was?"

"…The guy I smashed with the bottle of vodka. That started the brawl."

Natasha rubbed her face tiredly, and the throbbing of all her wounds didn't help her current state. "James," she began, "why didn't you just ignore him?"

"I did. He kept on talking like a disgusting pig and when I got up to get away from him, he put his hand on my arm. It was a reflex."

She nodded and sighed, "Okay. Okay. Let's get back to the car before they start looking for us."

The walk back was considerably more tense than before, and they were both silent the whole way, the only noise being the slight thump of their shoes on the ground. Natasha slid into the driver's seat and quickly got them back on the highway.

"I'm sorry Natalia."

Natasha pursed her lips and clenched her fists so tightly around the steering wheel that her knuckles turned white. "It's fine."

"Nata-,"

"I _said,_ it's fine."

It obviously wasn't fine, but he knew that saying anything else was just going to piss her off even more. The silence was deafening, and after ten minutes, James asked carefully,

"What did you find out?"

It took her a while to answer. "Most of the stuff I already knew, or suspected at least. But it's serious. There's this ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. agent running around collecting Hydra members-recruiting."

"Is he a threat?"

"Physically? No. I could get rid of him in a minute. But the guy's got a way to stir up loyalty in people, and that's what's so dangerous about him."

"So what are we going to do?"

"I have to go back to the facility. The team needs to know about this."

James felt frustration start to rise in him, but he kept down his complaints. After the mess he just created, he knew it wouldn't be the smartest idea to hold her back.

"What about me?"

"Do you have a safe house in New York somewhere?"

"Of course, but-,"

"Stay there," she interrupted. "And I'll contact you with the details once I get inside. Do _not_ follow me to the facility."

"Okay, but-,"

"Do I have your word?" Natasha asked forcefully.

He clenched his jaw. "Yes."

"James. Swear to me."

"I swear! I won't follow you!" he exclaimed irritably. "I don't get what the big deal is anyway."

Something seemed to snap inside Natasha, and she suddenly veered the car off to the side of the highway, nearly hitting another car, and turned off the vehicle. She turned to him and retorted:

"You want to know what the deal is James? The deal is that, you, the Winter Soldier, are one of the high priority targets of the U.S Government. The deal is that people don't like the Avengers, and anyone who has some sort of super talent or even connection to superheroes is looked down upon. These people are grasping for _any_ straws they can find, and I'm pretty sure that almost tearing apart a bar, even a shithole bar in a shithole town, is a pretty good reason for them to hate you, and anyone remotely associated with you."

"I didn't-,"

She cut him off with a severe glare. "I think I can name one person who people will connect you with." Her green eyes pierced him like daggers.

"…Steve."

"I know you want to be different. You don't want to be Hydra anymore. That's why you've spent the last two years hunting them down."

"How did you…,"

"It wasn't that hard actually," Natasha shrugged, falling back against the seat. "I just followed the trail of blood."

"Does he know?"

Natasha gazed out the window; her haunted reflection stared back at her. "No. He didn't know that I was running my own search."

James shifted and narrowed his eyes. "If you knew where I was, how come you didn't come after me?"

Her fingers danced across the steering wheel and she said quietly, "I was afraid."

"Of me?"

"Of what would happen when I met you. If you…you know…remembered."

Cars whizzed past them on the highway, and Natasha wondered what it was like to have a normal life. To be able to smile every day without a different meaning behind it, without it being forced, and have an actual childhood you could look back to without cringing.

Natasha sighed. "Let's face it James. We're not heroes. That's the deal. All anyone really cares about is what we've done in our past, not what we're doing right now."

Instead of answering, James reached into his pocket and pulled out a small compact phone and handed it to her. "It's untraceable," he explained. "If anything happens, you contact me on this, okay?"

He placed it in her hand, and Natasha felt the skin that his fingers brushed against burn, like a trail of fire. Pocketing it, she whirred the engine to life, and began the drive north.

This was going to be a long night.

 **I just have to start off by saying that I am SO SO SO sorry about the long delay. I was really busy for the first two weeks, and this last week, I got so lazy and couldn't write anything without deleting it after. So, again, I'm really sorry, and I hope this longer chapter can make up for it :)**

 **And as always, thanks so much to everyone who read, reviewed, favorited, or followed this story. It really means a lot to me as a writer, so thank you. I hope you all like this chapter. Next up, Natasha finally gets back to the facility, and things will take an interesting turn there... :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

 _ **"We have no place in the world."**_

They switched places in the car so James could get them to the safe house faster, and Natasha tried to get some rest in the passenger seat. But with the recent chaotic events and painful recollections of the past, not to mention the horrible pains that kept racking through her body, she only got more tired as time passed. After an hour of complete silence, Natasha pulled her feet onto the dashboard and simply observed his face. He tensed up slightly, but didn't say anything…for the first ten minutes at least. After that, he coughed and glanced at her.

"Is there something on your mind?"

"Just trying to see the difference," she replied softly. He raised his eyebrows at the tone of her voice.

"Between me and the Soldier?"

"No. The James I knew in the Red Room."

A shiver tingled through his spine. "Find anything?"

She tilted her head to the side, and his eyes followed her hair as it fell over her shoulder. The memory of his face pressed against that same hair flew through his mind, and he quickly turned his attention back to the road.

"I don't know yet."

"Why did you call me James?"

"You don't remember?"

He sighed. "Some parts have been getting back to me. But there're still a lot of pieces missing."

Natasha shifted and curled her legs underneath her. "What _do_ you remember?"

"Training you?" His fingers wrapped around the wheel. "I trained all of you."

"They brought us down to the training area really early one day," she confirmed. "You came in, and I can remember all the girls whispering to each other in hushed tones."

"You'd heard of me before?"

"Are you kidding?" Natasha laughed. "Stories of what you did were everywhere. And the commanders made sure to remind us."

"More than half of you failed."

Natasha's smile vanished. "You broke them. I was the first one to land a hit on you."

"I know." Shame burned at the pit of his stomach. "I'm sorry," he said. "For what I did to you."

"Don't be. It helped me survive." Her eyes burned into the side of his head. "You helped me survive."

The corner of his mouth lifted.

"As for James," she continued, "that didn't happen until later. You trained us for a full year, and they partnered us together for missions. Easy stuff."

"Berlin?"

Natasha nodded. "That was our first one together. And a lot more followed. But there was one mission, roughly six months later, which changed things."

"Changed how?"

"We were in England-a long term assignment. We were posing as an American couple, and had to find the location of an arms dealer that was threatening Russian officials." She let out a breath and placed her head against the cool glass of the window. "I was Amanda, and you were-,"

"James."

"We spent a month gathering Intel, and got ready to sneak into a base we found, but things went wrong almost immediately."

"Did the target get away?"

"Yes…and no." Natasha sighed. "They knew we were coming, and planted a bomb in the middle of a busy mall. I went to try and locate and defuse it – you stayed at the base."

"The bomb went off, didn't it?"

Natasha closed her eyes and felt the heat on her face again. "I arrived there too late, and got caught in the middle of the explosion." She tried to block out the bloody memories that kept resurfacing after every word.

"How bad were you hurt?"

"It wasn't pretty," she stated simply. "You must have found me, because when I woke up, we were back at our safe house. We basically failed our mission, and you told me that we couldn't go back yet, especially since I literally almost died."

"So we stayed?" he asked. "For how long?"

Natasha pursed her lips. "A whole month."

James raised an eyebrow. "I'm surprised they let us stay away that long."

"That's the thing," she whispered, "they didn't." He turned to look at her and felt the breath leave his body at the emotion in her eyes. "You killed all the men they sent to find us."

"All of them?"

"All of them," she repeated. "During that time, I returned to calling you commander in Russian, but you told me to stop. So after that, you were James to me."

"What made me say that?"

The feeling of his lips on hers flashed through her, and she cleared her throat. Curling a strand of her hair on a finger, Natasha avoided his eyes and fixed her attention on the speeding cars that rushed by them.

James felt a blush creeping up on his neck and looked away as well. The air inside the car suddenly grew increasingly awkward.

"So," he prompted, "what happened when we finally did go back?"

Still staring outside, Natasha deadpanned, "Oh they almost killed you. But in the end, they blamed it on your programming malfunctioning, so after a couple of months, we were back doing missions together."

"Ah."

* * *

They were silent for the remainder of the trip and at long last, arrived at James' safe house. Natasha shouldered open the car door and sighed as her sore muscles stretched after being cooped up for so long. She trudged behind him to the slightly concealed entrance.

He still wasn't too keen on the idea of her going to the facility, but he'd stopped talking about it, something Natasha greatly appreciated. James turned around to face her. There was a small bulb at the door, so she only saw half of his face. He tossed her the car keys, and she easily caught them, a small smile on her face as she did so.

James cleared his throat. "Remember, let me know what happens."

"I will. Don't get into another bar fight."

He flashed her a cocky grin. "Be careful, Natalia."

His eyes followed the sway of her long red hair as she walked over to the car.

"See you around James." She slid into the seat and the car hummed to life; a purr in the silence that surrounded the area.

"Not a scratch on that car," he called out. "Not one, you understand?"

Natasha flipped him the finger and put the vehicle in reverse, and seconds later, the car was back on the road, heading towards yet another problem in Natasha's night.

* * *

It took her an hour to reach Upstate New York, and ten minutes later, the border of the facility was in her sights. She parked the car at the edge of the woods; she didn't want anyone finding it and somehow tracing it back to James. The vehicle blended in well under the dark sky, and she took a moment to close her eyes and breathe. Her wounds throbbed, and she felt something warm pool on her side. Gingerly, she lifted her shirt and grimaced when she saw fresh blood stain the bandages covering the claw marks that she'd gotten from T'Challa. Peeling back the crimson cloth, she noticed that most of her stitches were gone-like they'd disintegrated or something. She fumbled for the phone in her pocket and dialed the only number listed.

He picked up on the first ring. "What happened? Are you at the facility?"

"Right outside the border," Natasha informed him.

"Is everything alright?"

"Does a profusely bleeding wound count as alright?" she asked, pressing the bandage as tightly as she could against the wound.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about," she hissed, "the fact that my stitches are literally gone, and the blood's about to get through the bandage."

Worry coated his voice. "Your leg?"

"No, my side," she winced. "Where T'Challa scratched me."

"Those should've stayed there for days!"

"Well, they're gone. Now please tell me you have a first aid kit in this thing."

"Middle seat. Pull it down and open the compartment. You'll see a red-,"

"Found it," Natasha exclaimed, clicking the seat back in place. She rummaged in the kit and got out some bandages and strips of gauze, ripping strips of it with her teeth while she unfolded the cloths. The phone, switched to speaker, she placed down on the seat next to her.

"If you're at the facility, why don't you just go in? Don't you guys have an infirmary in there?"

Natasha peeled the blood soaked bandage and immediately pressed the new one against the cuts, cursing.

"No need to be foul Natalia," James teased, but there was still concern in his voice.

"You try being slashed with Vibranium claws," she snapped. "Anyways, if they find my injuries already patched up, they'll know someone else was with me. Which is why," she continued, "the bandage on my back has to go to. Did you apply stitches to that gash?"

"Only put ointment and covered it with bandages," James assured, and Natasha sighed in relief. "That's why I told you I needed to put a second dressing, but then you decided to go on your little hop to criminal land."

Natasha secured the bandage with the gauze and pulled her shirt off, holding in a groan. The gash on her back was actually quite long, but she managed to remove all the bandages and tossed them into the side compartment of the backseat.

"How's your leg?" James inquired.

"Hurts like hell, but the stitches are still intact." She slipped her shirt back on, wincing as it brushed against her bruised ribs. "That I can say I did myself-I've done it plenty of times before." Black dots danced across her eyes, and a buzzing noise was starting to creep on her ears.

"You still there?"

"I'm fine James."

"You don't sound fine."

Natasha fished around the med kit and pulled out a bottle of painkillers. Dry swallowing two pills, she shook her head to try to clear her vision. It didn't work.

"Nothing you can do about it now." She could practically see the scowl that was most likely growing on his face. Pulling down the mirror, she inspected her face. Some of the bruises had faded, but there was a long red line extending past her right cheekbone that hurt whenever she spoke; the result of the harsh beating she'd taken back at the first cell they'd thrown her in. Judging by the placement, she suspected that it was probably a fracture, but she smeared some weird smelling cream on it and tried to ignore the stinging.

"What're you going to do when you get in?"

"First," she said, "I'm going to find Wanda, and tell her everything that happened." Natasha ripped open another bandage and pressed it against her slightly bleeding ribs.

"Even about me?"

"Yup."

"Natalia…." There was a warning tone to his voice.

She stuffed everything back into the med kit and sighed. "I can't lie to her."

"And Steve? Are you going to tell him?"

Natasha paused in what she was doing. "I-," she bit her lip, "not yet, no."

"No?"

"Are you deaf? No." She gently opened the car door and stepped out into the fresh air. Breathing in a large breath, she stretched her sore muscles – her wounds protested at the action – and hid the car keys underneath a rock a several feet away from the car.

"And what happens if he finds out?"

Natasha stared at the phone in her hand. "He won't. Goodbye James." She turned the device off and set off towards the checkpoint.

* * *

Someone really wanted to ruin her life, Natasha thought as she trudged through the trail leading to the border. First she got captured in Africa, practically tortured, slashed with claws and almost killed, and returned only to have to face yet another demon of her past. And now, bloody and on the brink of passing out, she was headed towards a destination that she was sure would only make her day a million times worse.

Funnily enough, her problems began even before she got past the security checkpoint. Three guards stood at watch next to the gate, all armed with stun guns and batons. They raised their weapons at her as soon as she stepped into the light, and Natasha held up her hands to let them know she was unarmed.

"Stand down," she ordered. She saw one guard look at another, and they remained in their positions. "Lower your weapons, agents."

"Mr. Stark issued an order that he wants you brought in on sight," the guard the closest to her called. They all moved a step closer as he spoke.

The voice inside Natasha's head told her that maybe she should have thought this through a bit more. "I don't know what kind of shit he filled you with," she stated firmly, "but his authority doesn't surpass mine. Not here." Her instincts shifted her body into an automatic defensive position.

"How about we ask him?"

A devilish grin formed on her face. "I thought you'd never ask."

 **Okay so I know I haven't updated this thing in ages, and I'm really sorry. The thing is, my school started five weeks ago, and I've been so busy I've barely had time do anything but study. So I've decided I'll try and update on the weekends, as often as I can. I wrote out a whole other part to this chapter but haven't finished it yet, so I thought I'll at least put this little section up. Again, I'm really sorry to everyone who has read this story and been so supportive, and I hope you like this :)**

 **I haven't written in a while, so I'd appreciate if you guys told me how I did :)**


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